


Strange Happenings

by itsaconquestofimagination



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assault, Characters Watching Star Wars, Earth, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Evil Snoke, F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren escapes First Order, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Roommates, Slow Burn, Virgin Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:19:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaconquestofimagination/pseuds/itsaconquestofimagination
Summary: Kylo Ren finally has the guts to abandon the First Order and leave it all behind, deciding to choose neither side. His high stakes venture to freedom however sends him flying through a black hole and crashing onto a strange planet known as Earth, where reader finds him.





	1. Chapter 1

The rain was coming down hard, pounding on the roof of the venue you had just been waitressing. Your coworker looked over from the sink he was hunched over scrubbing dishes.

“Thank God it wasn’t pounding this hard earlier.”

You let out a chuckle as you cleaned out one of the last wine glasses. The extra cash you got for working the event was great, but the bridezilla that came as a test to your patience was anything but.

“Pretty sure she was going to rip someone’s throat out if they mentioned the good luck with fertility one more time.”

You both shook your heads laughing, reminiscing on her fuming anger which almost quite literally had steam blowing out of her ears. She truly was a vision…of horror. Events like this were rare for you to get called out to work considering you were only starting, but with the catering company being short staffed you had to take your shot. You wanted the experience, and seriously needed the money. The catering company made it almost too easy to get it too. By picking up a few trays and driving them to the venue, you got paid for your drive there. You got paid an extra $5 per hour than your regular pay just because it was an event, and not to mention the tips. The tips were what you were most excited about, especially with the wedding being an open bar. Drunks were always the most generous tippers in your experience. In short, you couldn’t wait to see your pay stub and actually have money left after your rent payment. What a thought.

Looking to the clock your shoulders instantly slouched with a sigh of relief as the hand hit midnight.

“Yes! That’s my signal.”

The coworker looked down to his watch, returning his gaze to you with concern as he put down the plate.

“Shouldn’t you have left like 2 hours ago? I mean I’m only staying cause I’m 20 minutes away. How far out are you again?”

You looked down at your black shoes, trying to sound unconcerned as you placed the dish rag down, “Uhhh like 2…hours.”

He slammed his hand down and stared at you in shock, “2 hours?!”

“I really need the money ok?! The later I stay, the better the pay.“

He shook his head at you turning to face you, “Look (Y/N), I know rent ain’t cheap in the city but for the sake of you getting home safely, work the set up crew next time we work a wedding this far out ok? They get just as many hours.”

You nodded sheepishly, trying to get the conversation over with. You weren’t up to arguing about how they didn’t get tips like the evening waitresses.

“Now I’m gonna be worried about you for 2 hours. Especially with the weather like this. Send a text when you get home?”

“Yeah sure. I’ll be fine though, I mean come on it’s the boonies. Worst that could happen is a deer runs out into the road.”

He didn’t seem amused as you threw your bag over your shoulder. With a roll of your eyes you placed your hands on your hips. You appreciated his concern, but being as old as you were, you weren’t really looking for an extra parent or older sibling to worry over your perfectly capable self.

“Seriously, I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”

He just shook his head as he returned to washing the last few wine glasses, “Alright. Well drive safe.”

You turned on your heel and waved to him while making your exit, “I promise!”

With a bounce in your step thinking about how successfully your first event went you walked towards the gravel parking lot, only to start slowing your steps. The further out of the venue you got, the more you realized just how creepy and dingy the place was. When you had pulled up earlier this morning the barn like hall seemed adorable, with the fall of night however, not so much. There were no street lights in sight, making it difficult to even see where the road was. There were also no signs except the venue’s name for miles. At this hour there was also not a single sound except for the rain. The overwhelming surrounding of trees made everything seem even darker and eerie as well. The pounding frequency of rain that blurred out anything more than 15 feet ahead didn’t really help the vibe either. The only thing that seemed to ease the creepy vibe was the fact that you could clearly see your car, just a few yards away, all by it’s lonesome.

With a deep breath you shook your head, “Just run to the car, just run to the car.”

Dashing through the rain straight to the car door you started to fumble through your purse as the rain now soaked your tailored top, “Come on.”

Pushing around your belongings you finally heard the familiar faint jingle of your keys. Just as you got a hold of them, there was suddenly a different kind of cold sensation just barely grazing your neck. Your breath caught in your throat as you tried to control your breathing as you felt your heart start to pound against your ribs.

“Give me the keys doll face…and we won’t have a problem.”

The sound of the hoarse male voice made your skin crawl, causing you to visibly cringe. His ability to approach you so steathily only added to your anxiety, what if he had back up? What if he could just as quietly kidnap you? There wasn’t a soul living out here to witness the crime. With a sudden shove, the man pushed you into the side of your car.

“HE-!”

His hands covered your mouth instantly, the fear inside you building as your breathing grew more rigid. You knew you had pepper spray to defend yourself, but with his body weight holding you to the car the way he was and what you assumed to be a pocket knife so close to your throat, you knew you couldn’t fish it out of your purse fast enough or smoothly to avoid a cut.

“KEYS! Now.”

Pushing the knife closer to your neck you let out a whimper as you tried to fish for the keys you just had a hold on out from the bottom. Hands shaking furiously as you felt around.

“Hurry the he-”

Suddenly he was cut off as his body jolted backwards, his voice sounding as though his airways were suddenly constricted. Instantly you felt a faint tinge of relief wash over you as you felt his weight off of you. Breathing heavily your eyes went to the gravel beneath you for a moment, noticing your attackers knife before you. Not understanding how he had not kept his grip on his weapon you slowly raised your gaze. Just as you did however, you now found yourself breathless, eyes growing wider than saucers. If it was at all possible your heart was somehow managing to beat even harder than it had earlier. Your missing attacker was now in the chokehold of another man.

Tall and shrouded in nothing but black, he had his arm outstretched with his gloved hand squeezing at your attackers neck . His raven black hair was stringy and sticking to his pale face from the relentless rain. His face was twisted in rage, his teeth visible to you and your attacker, his forehead creasing.

“Leave, her, alone.”

You could hear the contempt dripping in his voice as he released his fist, causing your earlier attacker to fall to the ground gasping for air. With your attacker now at least two or so feet away from you, you watched him crawl and cower in fear from the taller pale man. The other man was visibly more physically built than your attacker and most certainly taller.

“Yeah? W-what are you really going to do?”

The taller man began striding towards him, fists clenched at his sides and his face still visibly angered with the intensity of his eyes never once leaving your attacker. Just as quickly as your attacker had appeared his confidence disintegrated. For a moment it seemed as though he froze in place, whimpering as he sat there. The closer this strange man got the more he cowered in fear and struggled to keep a straight face. Suddenly your attacker found his footing and stood from the gravel, nearly falling over once again before he darted off into the distance again. Seemingly disappearing into the night. Feeling relief that the attacker had at least run off, you finally released a sigh. At the very least you knew he wouldn’t harm you any longer.

That, however, did nothing to answer the question of the eyes you could now feel watching you. Looking up to meet his gaze you nearly choked on your own breath. His eyes were still intense and he was directly staring at you, as if staring at his prey. Turning more of himself towards you he began to stride forward. The closer he got, the more you felt like you were walking in your attackers shoes. This man exuded intimidation and had your heart thumping so ferociously it felt as though it would pop up your throat.

Finally within a few strides he was before you, your fear striken, wide eyed, horrified self bracing yourself against your car. Just as you saw his hand release from a fist and reach up you instantly flinched and shut your eyes. As much as you wanted to defend yourself, you were far too terrified to even think of how you would possibly manage to do that right now. Suddenly you felt his presence before you, his body heat practically radiating onto you. Though he was not laying a hand on you, you swore it was as if he was.

“You were cut.”

His baritone voice nearly caught you off guard as it reached your ears. How was a man this terrifying from what you could tell the owner of such a soothing voice? Reluctantly you peeled your eyes open, slowly bringing the man into view once again. His brows were now furrowed and his expression not as threatening. Instead, he almost appeared intrigued. You looked him over cautiously. He may have been your savior, but everything about him right now other than the look in his eyes made you afraid of what he could potentially do to you.

“I have no interest in harming you.”

You gulped. You really did want to believe him, considering he had saved you from your previous attacker, but the way he looked before you made you extremely hesitant. Who’s to say he wouldn’t just leave you out here and take your car? Or worse?

With hesistation you decided to speak, “Then what are you doing out here?”

His expression gave you no indication of what he thought of your response, but you almost instantly regretted it. Given how little you knew about this stranger there was no telling how he would respond to your defiance.

“I crashed in the woods back there. I was hoping to find shelter or something, but instead I ended up finding you. You seemed as though you were in need of assistance more than I do.”

Looking into the treeline as if you were going to see this vehicle or smoke of some sort from the crash, you narrowed your eyes. Turning back to him you furrowed your brows.

“What do you need assistance with?”

His eyes looked off into the distance for a moment as he spoke.

“As I said, I crashed back there.”

“And?”

He gulped before he turned his gaze to the gravel beneath you both. From what you could see in his eyes, he almost looked as though he were struggling to come out with what he wanted to say.

“I have nowhere to go. …I have no idea where I am, I have no means of communication.”

“…So…you’re lost?”

He nodded, “Unfortunately.”

“Well…isn’t there…”

In mid sentence you paused, realizing the fault in what you were about to ask. There was absolutely no bus service for miles. To even ask him if he were going to find one and ride it was a joke. Suddenly he lifted his gaze.

“I was hoping as…repayment for saving you, you would help me.”

“Help you?”

He nodded, seeming even less intimidating than before. Though he was still an undeniable presence, he seemed far more relaxed and adamant about his word. Now he gave you the impression of a coworker or fellow student rather than a stranger who was just choking out an attacker. He seemed, in a sense, normal. He had saved you, and had he not crashed in those nearby woods you would have likely had a much different night than you were now. To a degree, you did owe him something for not just turning away from you in a time of dire need. You knew how all too common it was for people to turn a blind eye.

“I’m…I’m not really sure about it…”

“As I said before, I have no interest in harming you. I only need help and somewhere to go.”

“…You really have no way of getting out?”

He gave you a nod, his eyes still intently focused on you as you processed your thoughts.

“…No way of communicating help otherwise?”

He nodded again. You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“I can’t even believe I’m about to say this…but I’ll make you a deal. You keep your promise and I will drive you to the city. As repayment for potentially saving my life.”

With that, you saw the instant change in his expression, turning from indifference to subtle relief.

You shrugged, “It’s the least I could do. Now come on, it’s a long drive and I’m freezing.”

Swiftly moving to the car you finally got to your keys and unlocked the door. With a quick swing of the door you threw yourself into the drivers seat. The instant your door shut you felt the relief of being in a dry and familiar space, a small smile growing across your lips. Choosing to ignore the sticky feeling of your clothes you settled into your seat. The man in black was cautiously seating himself next to you, his legs scrunched up to the glove compartment as his wet robes squeaked against the leather seat. As you supressed a giggle you reached over and pushed the button to shift the seat back which seemed to surprise him as he watched it move.

“This should be more comfortable for you.”

He nodded as he shifted himself and shut his door. Pushing your keys into the ignition you didn’t even hesitate to get the heater blasting on both of you, finally starting on your long commute home.

* * *

 

Most of your drive had consisted of the soft sounds of your radio, which the man seemed to be somewhat intrigued by. He must not have seen many models like yours considering the way he stared at the buttons and fiddled with the tuning controls. He tried tuning it to a few different stations, visibly annoyed by the country station, hesistant about the pop station, he eventually settled on the indie rock station. You looked over at him staring out the window as he tapped his fingers against his thigh. Clearing your throat you finally decided to say something other than ‘Is the heat ok?’.

“Hey um…I’m sorry for hesitating with you earlier. I’m really…genuinely thankful you saved me. You just um…came off a little..”

“Threatening?”

You nodded, he looked out his passenger window again.

“Don’t worry. It’s not insulting. I’m used to it.”

Raising a brow you looked at him in the corner of your eye, “Used to it?”

“…I’m not someone people are eager to see where I come from.”

You looked to him in the corner of your eye, noticing his shoulders slightly dropped as he finished his statement. Was he actually saddened by that fact? You couldn’t entirely blame anyone that cleared out of his way. Deciding not to potentially sadden him any further or possibly anger him, you changed the subject.

“I never got your name.”

“It’s Kylo.”

Interesting, you thought, that definitely wasn’t a name you had heard before.

“And yours?”, his voice jolted you out of your thoughts.

“Oh! I’m (Y/N).”

You could see his mouth curl up into a smile from the corner of your eye, exposing a dimple. At the very least he found your sudden surprise endearing. Just as you turned your focus back to the road, you suddenly saw a large green sign, causing you to subtly smile.

“Oh and Kylo, we’re almost into the city so we finally have cell service! You can borrow my phone to call whoever you need to. Just so you know.”

The silence in the car grew thick for a few moments before his voice softly responded.

“What’s a cell phone?”

You laughed, “Come on, a phone, those calling devices. Seriously though don’t hesitate to use it, I don’t mind”.

He sat silent for a few moments more, “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had no means of communication or any idea where I am.”

“…Well, you could still call someone…right?”

“No.”

Your brows furrowed.

“I’m not from here.”

“But you mean like internationally right? I don’t mind if it charges my account-”

“No (Y/N), I’m really…really not from here.”

Curiously you looked over at him, considering his words. If he’s not international then where the hell would he be from? His robes gave you no indication of a possible culture he was a part of, he had no accent to indicate a place he was raised, and he had confirmed earlier he had absolutely no form of ID. The less possible answers came to mind, the more you could feel your blood pressure rising. You gulped faintly.

“Where…exactly are you from, if not from here?”

He stared out the front window, hesistating to answer. He didn’t know how to explain it without you thinking he was mental, or possibly scaring you further than you already were. He knew it was a shere miracle you had even offered o give him a ride. If he were to be honest now, he wasn’t sure what you would do.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke, “I’m from…a different system.”

Your brows furrowed again, “System?”

He knew you would likely catch him in a lie if he didn’t think it through and to his misfortune, he knew hardly anything about your planet. Aside from its vast ocean space and ability to allow human life.

“A different, galactic system.”

You scoffed, “That’s not possible.”

His face remained deadpan as he continued, “Considering that I fell through your planets atmosphere and landed in those woods I would say it is.”

You tried hiding your growing anxiety at his answer, but the trembling you felt roll over you was not so easy to conceal.

“How did you…”

“I’m not sure. …Luck I guess.”

You nodded, tightening your grip around the steering wheel as if to ground yourself. This man had survived crashing from a spacecraft onto earth? How was that even slightly possible? You cleared your throat, trying to think of something else to talk about.

“So umm…as someone not from our…planet…I’m guessing you have no way of possibly paying for a hotel? …Or anything.”

He shook his head. As much as the new things you discovered about him made you worry, you also had a tinge of empathy for him. The man was a ways from home and most certainly didn’t have a soul he could depend on. Well, any soul aside from you.

“I can’t believe, yet again, I’m even going to say this… Do you want to stay with my roommate and I? I mean…considering I can’t really afford to put you in a hotel and you probably need us to help you with a lot.”

He turned to you, though you were focused on the road you could tell his eyes were brightening. Even with his minimal reactions you could tell he was grateful that that was your response rather than tossing him out on the side of the road.

“I would appreciate that.”

You nodded, releasing a sigh in hopes that it would help with at least some of your nerves.

“Great. On that note, let’s make a quick stop here. We need to get you some kind of clothes to sleep in.”

* * *

 

After browsing through (Name of 24 Hour store) and leaving Kylo in the car, understandbly not wanting to scare customers, you found him a pair of black sweats, a pack of black boxers, a black t-shirt and some thick black socks. At least he would be comfortable in this color, considering his current attire. Upon handing him the bag he stared at them curiously after thanking you, taking his time feeling the soft fabric of the sweats as you drove home.

Finally reaching your apartment, at 3:30AM, you were releaved to remember you had the next few days off. Especially on account of your new guest. By how clueless he seemed here, he was obviously going to need you. Once you unlocked the door Kylo’s eyes roamed around the tiny place trying to take it all in as the door squeaked open.

“Welcome to my humble abode. Bathroom’s over there to the left. Feel free to just put your robes in the hamper and we’ll clean them up soon.”

Putting down your purse you heard him mumble behind you.

“I’d actually like to…to get rid of them…start over.”

You looked back at him, seeing his soft expression. It was the first time in his time with you that you had seen such a look dawn his features. He looked to be deep in thought, as if coming from a place of great pain. Though you weren’t sure what he meant by start over, you weren’t going to question him at this point.

You smiled at him, “Sure. Sure we can do that.”

He nodded as he took the sweats out of the bag and headed into your bathroom. Quickly walking into your room you peeled your soaking clothes from your body and tossed them in the laundry hamper. Slipping into some comfortable, and freshly laundered PJ pants and a tank top. Giving yourself one look in the mirror you sighed in relief, the wonderful feeling of putting on your PJ’s at the end of the day was far too underrated. It had also never felt better after the evening you had just had. Walking back out to the living room you heard the bathroom door open with Kylo now dressed in his all new all black attire.

“Comfortable?”

He looked up at you as he nodded, fidgeting with the strings on his sweats as if confused about their purpose. A moment later he collected his soaked robes into his fist making one crumpled ball. He took a good minute of just staring at them. You wondered if he was having a dialouge with them in his head with how focused and underlyingly emotional he seemed. Just by staring at them he seemed to hold an incredible amount of focus.

Finally after a good 2 minutes he popped open the lid and tossed them in your trash can. With just that simple gesture he released a deep breath of relief. They must have held some kind of significance to him if he paid them that much attention. You decided not to dwell on it tonight.

“Ok, well, my roommate is obviously out at her boyfriend’s, however considering I don’t want you to terrify her if she finds you in her bed, you can either sleep over here on the couch, or I can bust out one of our sleeping bags for you and you can sleep on my floor.”

He barely glanced at the couch before he turned to you.

“I think the couch would be more appropriate.”

You nodded, “For sure. Lucky for you, it’s a hide-a-bed.”

His brows furrowed, “A what?”

You smirked as you walked over to the small living room area and pulled off the couch cushions. Carefully but swiftly you pulled out the makeshift bed and gestured to it.

“See? It’s a couch, and a bed.”

He nodded as he observed it for a moment, taking great consideration of how it had been hidden underneath.

“Let me get you some blankets and pillows.”

Walking over to the one storage closet your apartment allowed you pulled out a rolled up sleeping bag and tossed it to him, taking some blankets and pillows in your own arms. Dropping the pillows and extra blankets onto the floor you sighed, “Alright, so feel free to set up here, and well I’ll be back there in my room. Just call me or shake me a bit if you need me at any point in the night ok?”

He nodded as he unrolled the sleeping bag into his hands, observing it for a moment.

“Well get some rest Kylo, we’re going to run some errands tomorrow.”

“Ok.”

You waved with a soft smile as you backed away towards your room, “Good night Kylo.”

“Good night (Y/N).”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After agreeing to take him in, you decide to start introducing Kylo to his new home. The most mundane part of your days suddenly become entertaining as you try and get Kylo to understand it all.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_  

Your alarm blared loudly as you hazily fluttered your eyes open to see the red 10:00 blinking at you. Finally fishing your arm out from under your pillow, you swung it over and hit the off button. Releasing a groan, you pulled back under the covers, relishing in the warmth of the sheets. 

Hearing a soft snore off in the distance, you suddenly remembered your guest. You sat up tolook into living room. Sure enough as you peered over a little further you saw his large frame curled up in the blankets, his hair sprawled out over his pillow and his mouth just barely open snores escaping his lips. You smiled at the sight, remembering how grateful to you he had been for you taking him in. 

Just as you went over the thought again you saw him stir. The sounds of joints popping and cracking followed by a bear like yawn filled the room as he started sitting up right, turning on his side. Propped on his elbow he looked up around the room before he finally saw you through the door. Staring at you with heavy eyes and a barely noticeable smile he sat up a little more. 

“Morning.” 

He simply hummed in response with a nod. Appearing to be trying his hardest to stay awake.

You laughed softly, “I think we need some coffee.”

* * *

Deciding you were too exhausted to cook and your guests pale complexion called for some real nourishment that didn’t entail kids cereal, you took him to a local diner. Even the 2 minute walk down the street turned into an adventure for Kylo. Just like a kid walking through a candy store his eyes were all over the place, glimmering with curiosity. He didn’t say much, but from the way his eyes darted from left to right, you could tell he was curious.

Once you were finally seated in your booth at the diner, you watched him as he stared intently at his menu. The look on his face seemed so serious, yet you were sure he just had no idea what anything on the menu was. Considering his more than foreign origins, he would likely have little to no idea what any of the food on the menu even was. His eyes scanned up and down the plastic pages slowly, biting his lip in concentration. Clearing your throat he looked back up at you. 

“Personally I’d go for the pancakes.” 

He looked back at the menu, intently reading the description, processing the words. You could only imagine how much he was struggling to understand what any of it meant. There had to be some similarities between your worlds, but you wouldn’t be sure with how much there was to compare. There had to be things like wheat, water obviously, but everything else you didn’t give a second thought could be entirely new to him. The possibilities intrigued you. A moment later he simply nodded in approval of your suggestion. 

“The picture looks good.”

_Was he really staring at the picture of pancakes for that long?_

* * *

Once your small stacks of pancakes were placed in front of you both, Kylo took a moment to just stare at them almost like he was assuring it truly looked like the picture from his menu. Looking up from his plate he watched you cut off a piece of yours and start eating. As if reassured that he was allowed to eat them by the smile you gave him, he did the same. 

With the first bite you saw him slowly chew, you could have sworn you could see the gears in his brain turning. His expression seemed as though he was trying to guess what ingredients were in the pillowy bread material. Lifting an eyebrow at him he gazed back at you with a grin and a nod. He continued eating, becoming less and less conservative with his bites the more he realized how long it had been since he had eaten. 

* * *

With Kylo fed, having to order him a second stack of pancakes to satisfy his hunger, you decided to move onto the first task of the day. Shopping, and at one of your favorite places, Target. Upon just entering the store Kylo was intrigued, especially by the way it was set up. The way some aisles were lit up with bright white lights, others plastered in ads of markdowns, others almost barren with few things on the shelves. His eyes seemed to scan through them all as you walked up to the carts, which he equally was fascinated by. Rolling one out you gestured towards it. 

“You wanna push it?“ 

He looked at you you then to the cart. 

“You know like scoot it around the store?“ 

He looked it over again curiously. He examined the wheels, the structure, not entirely sure what you were offering him. Off to the side he noticed a few people pushing them, observing how they moved. Seeming more comfortable with the idea he nodded. Moving aside you let him take the handles, as he gripped them moving forward cautiously, he followed you in. 

 “Ok so let’s cover the absolute necessities first. You need a toothbrush, deodorant, shaving supplies, vitamins, shampoo and conditioner, and we’ll figure out the rest along the way.” 

“…I only understood shampoo and conditioner.” 

You gave him a grin, “Well it’s a start. Let’s go there first.” 

Walking to the aisle you stood with the cart as he started browsing his options. In your experience with men, what you thought would be a 30 second decision was slowly turning into a longer process. The way his eyes honed in on the ingredients, the way he sniffed the contents, the way he judged the packaging. He was taking it so seriously, but seemed indecisive and unsatisifed with what he was looking at. You decided to weigh in.

“Um, because I’m not sure what chemicals you’re used to in your home, the best options are definitely those ones on the end. They’re a little pricier, but worth it.”

He nodded as he took your suggestion and walked down to the end of the aisle. Surely enough within a minute he seemed satisfied and plopped two bottles into the cart. You looked down to see what had suited his fancy,   _thick and full collagen? A man who knows his hair products. Even in another galaxy._

“Ok, shaving supplies! You must shave right? Like trim the hairs on your face?”

 He nodded as you walked two aisles down, “So that’s what that means.” 

Picking up a pack of razors for him he seemed to be hesitant as you were showing him. Ones he used in the past must have been different. Unbeknownst to you, he used to have a droid that did it for him. Though he understood what you meant by the process of shaving, with the small plastic box in front of him he didn’t realize in full what you were showing him. 

“See they have little blades. You just carefully run them over your face and  **bam**! Soft as a baby’s butt.” 

He looked at you as if you had just suddenly spoken in a foreign language as he waited for you to continue. By the way his brows furrowed you could tell he thought your wording was strange. 

“So that’s obviously not a phrase you’ve heard…ok next items!” 

Throwing them into the cart, you went to the next aisle. Deodarant. Walking through the aisle you gestured to the shelves as you spoke to Kylo.

“So essentially what it does is make you smell better, so even if you sweat, as we all do, it wouldn’t smell that bad.” 

He understood, nodding in response as he walked up to the shelves and observed what was before him. The more his eyes wandered however, the more he found himself perplexed. All the different packaging, the ridiculous names for scents, the variety of prices made no coorelation to him and quite frankly made the decision more confusing.

“What kind am I supposed to pick?”

 “I mean…what kind of smells do you like?” 

He shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about that.”

Instead of an elaboration he ended there, continuing to scan the shelves. Clearing your throat you reached forward and grabbed one of the options. 

“Ok well what about this one?” 

Twisting open the lid you held it to his nose as he took a whiff. He shrugged again. Indifferent to the whole idea he decided to go a different route. 

“What way do you usually pick these?“ 

 "Well I just pick what I like, but there are people who pick them for certain purposes, like the stress sweat ones. Or they pick scents they know others like. Like my cousin, he’s worn the same cologne for 12 years cause he knows a lot of women love it…or at least he thinks they do.” 

He looked at you with a nod, considering the idea. 

“Which one would you like?” 

“Oh. What?”

“What, would you think would smell best?”

“Umm, personally… I uh, I like when guys smell like…this.” 

Picking one up as you blushed you held it up for him to smell. Taking a whiff, the corner of his mouth barely turned up, satisfied with your choice. Quickly throwing it into the basket you gave him the cart again. 

* * *

The next stop you decided was groceries.  As you walked down the first aisle you turned to Kylo.

“Are you allergic to anything?“ 

He raised a brow, obviously showing his confusion. 

“Any food that makes you sick or like itchy and red?“ 

“I don’t know…nothing back home made me sick.“ 

You sighed, "Alright guess we’ll have to play trial and error. Do you like pasta?" 

The expression he made on his face seemed as though the word fascinated him, "I don’t know what is it?" 

Picking up a box from the shelf you pointed to the clear slot so he could see the noodles. 

"See? It’s like a really thinned out carb, kinda starchy, you put it in really hot water for a while and make it soft." 

He simply nodded at your explanation. 

"Aanndd with this kind of pasta we’ll take the tomato sauce. Ok next, do you eat meat?" 

He nodded eagerly, probably excited he finally understood something you were saying. Though it would likely be different, he at least knew what foods in the category of meat entailed. 

"Perfect, let’s get you some deli meat and chicken.”

* * *

Walking back through the aisles you decided to pick your own things seeing as Kylo was basically set. He watched you intently as you picked up different products, not giving them a second thought as you tossed them in the cart. From the way you passed through each section with ease he figured you were an expert on this store. 

“What’s that?”

You smiled as you held up the small tube for him to see, “Mascara.”

He stared at the packaging trying to understand what you could possibly need it for. He then noticed a small doodle in the corner of what he supposed was a woman’s eye. 

“Soo…you put it in your eyes?”

You laughed, “No, no, on your eyelashes. Close to your eye, but not in it, that’ll burn real bad.”

“And those tiny vials? I don’t understand.”

You picked up the small bottle of nail polish, cracking it open to demonstrate for him what it was.

“It’s called nail polish. Typically women and girls wear it for fun, men do sometimes too. Like I’m going to later when we get home. See.”

You took the small brush and lightly painted your pinky nail with a streak of red. You held up your nail for him, he hesitantly leaned closer to observe your pinky finger.

“Interesting.”

Nodding him along he followed you to the next aisle, now more confidently pushing the cart. Stopping in the aisle to pick up a package Kylo peered over to read it. 

“What’s a feminine hygiene product?”

You laughed, “Pads and tampons? Come on.”

He just stared at you, waiting for his response, obviously still aloof. You raised your eyebrows in shock.

“Are you serious? Please tell me I don’t have to give you that talk. That is not my job.”

“What talk?”

You took a big sigh, anticipating that you would actually possibly have to walk a grown man through the sex talk. Though it was rather humorous to consider, it seemed strange. He had to be at least 30, how would he not know? Then again his behavior and body language towards others, you assumed he was not someone who had much experience with any level of affection or intimacy. Let alone basic social interaction with a lot of people. You knew there was more than likely a story from his past to accompany this behavior, but you didn’t want to go digging that deep this early. 

“Ok well, once a month for about 3 to 5 days I have to use these things to stop blood flow. Or, not really stop it, but stop it from going anywhere other than the pad.”

His mouth opened into an ‘o’, “Oohhh…that kind of hygiene…my…female colleagues would have appreciated those.”

Your eyes widened. Would have appreciated? What on earth were they using?

“I’m sure! How do you guys not have these things?! They’re life savers! What do they do when it comes up?”

Kylo looked off into the distance, pondering for a moment only to shrug. He was well aware of his female colleauges health regulations in the Order, but he had never thought much about how they dealt with it. Let alone thought about them much. He never bothered to ask or wonder about Phasma either, despite how closely they worked. 

“I don’t know.”

“…So I don’t need to explain..”

“…N…no.”

You nodded, “Perfect.” 

He truthfully didn’t actually know what you meant you would have to explain, but sensing your discomfort he opted to say nothing. He always had tomorrow to ask you any of his million questions. 

* * *

With the fall of night finally coming around you finished putting away your groceries. Kylo was sitting on the couch, eating fistfuls of Cheetos as he watched your TV intently. As you closed the fridge you looked over to him and chuckled.

“You liking those Cheetos?”

“Mhm,” he said with his mouth stuffed full.

“Ok well pace yourself, I have to feed you dinner. My roommate called and she’s bringing pizza.”

He turned to you curiously, “She’s coming?”

You nodded, “She’s finally crawling out of her boyfriend’s apartment and coming home. I think you’ll like her.”

He quietly nodded as he turned his attention back to the TV screen. You peered over his shoulder to see what had him so fascinated, causing you to giggle again.

“You’re really watching The Bachelorette?”

You came around the other side of the couch and sat next to him. 

“I just don’t understand…why are they all courting her at once? She’s not royalty. It’s ineffective.”

“Ineffective?”

“It’s like a battle plan, you can’t let your enemy swarm you all at once, you’ll be weak. Distracted. Your decisions won’t be made with a clear mind. You might trust the wrong people. These men could easily lie to her with how distracted she is, make her weak, make her choose them even though they’re a horrible choice.”

You looked over to him, “…that’s an impressive observation.”

He handed you the bag of Cheetos as you watched him stare at the screen. Taking a few in your hand, you reflected on his words. Maybe his past had something with war in it. He was obviously physically fit, he was hesitant with others, he was aggresively protective. He seemed to have many signifiers that would fit. 

Hearing the door creak open you both turned to see your roommate appear as she balanced the large pizza box on her arm.

“Well, well she finally returns. How’s Casanova?”

She chuckled as she shut the door, “Fantastic thanks and-…”

She paused, the look on her face obviously surprised and confused to see Kylo. Kylo simply kept eating Cheetos as he looked at her.

“Oh right! Mila this is Kylo, Kylo this is my roommate and best friend Mila.”

She sheepishly waved as she put down the pizza box on the table. As you walked up to her, Mila looked between you and Kylo with obvious hesitation.

“Wanna um…tell me how exactly we know Kylo?”

“You got my text about getting home safe after that creep tried stealing my car right?”

“Yeah, that slinky bastard.”

“Well you can thank Kylo for me being both saved and returned home without a scratch on me.”

She nodded, crossing her arms. 

“Is that right? Impressive.”

Leaning over to look at Kylo again Mila raised her voice.

“Well thank you Kylo, she’s kind of a bitch sometimes but I think I’d die if anything happened to her.”

Confused by her way of speaking about you he simply nodded back. Unsure of how to respond.You shook your head as you opened the box to get some pizza.

“And just an FYI he’s staying with us due to the unfortunate circumstances and literally no one else to help him.”

Mila’s eyes grew wide instantly as she tried to hide her expression from Kylo. Considering the fact that she had only been at her boyfriend’s home for one night, this was certainly a drastic change in your living situation. 

“What?”

“He’s staying on the couch right now so don’t worry.”

“(Y/N).”

“Oh yeah I also decided he can basically hold down the fort when we’re gone at work, you know until he figures everything out here.”

“Figures everything out?”

“He’s uh…a foreign exchange student. Actually much to his misfortune, he already didn’t have much to go home to, ended up in a crash. That’s how he was where I was, to save me.”

She looked over your shoulder at him curiously. You knew Mila generally was hesitant to trust anyone, much like you. You only hoped your story would suffice for her as to why he acted as strangely as he did. She looked back at you and whispered.

“You’re seriously comfortable with him staying here and sleeping in our house?”

“Yes. …He really needs us Mila. I wouldn’t usually give us another roommate out of the blue, you know me…but he seriously needs us. I think he would have gotten himself killed or something if I hadn’t been there with him today. We can get him a job later, maybe some other friends so he’s not fully dependent on us, but he needs to crash with us. He’s got no money, no place to stay, no one to contact, he doesn’t even know what a cell phone is. He needs us.”

Mila’s brows furrowed, “Doesn’t know what a cell phone is?”

You nodded, “Didn’t have a clue when I told him he could use mine to make a call. On top of that, he also had no one TO call.”

 She looked over your shoulder again at Kylo staring intently at the TV screen, his legs scrunched up close to him on the couch. Looking back to you she let out a sigh, running a hand down her face. Though you could tell you were testing her, she also seemed to see where your intentions lied.

“Fine…fine, but only because he’s obviously dealt with some heavy shit if he’s got no real home.”

You excitedly hugged her, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Yeah, yeah, just remember when Tony comes over to see me and sees him you better have a good explanation.”

You nodded, turning to Kylo. 

“Ok Kylo dinner time!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your roommate finally returns, though she’s accepted your venture to help Kylo, she remains hesitant and skeptical. The process of getting Kylo accustomed to Earth also continues everywhere from your local coffee shop, to the DMV. Kylo also reflects on just how much he needs to change since his brave decision to escape the First Order as well as how much there’s still to learn.

Mila’s jaw hung slack with a slice of pizza in her hand waiting as she simply stared in what you could only guess was mild shock. You turned your gaze to Kylo, as he practically inhaled his 3rd piece of cheese pizza only to reach into the box and grab another. She turned to you, mouth still agape and eyebrows scrunched as she mouthed ‘what the fuck’ to you. You simply shrugged. Mila turned back to Kylo and cleared her throat.

“I see you’re liking the pizza…they don’t have it where you’re from I’m guessing?”

He finally put the slice down as he shook his head in response. Mila gave him a nod, still watching him scarf down his food.

“Where exactly are you from? I mean you speak pretty perfect English for an exchange student. No accent either.”

Kylo hesitated. He knew from your thoughts you wanted him to lie about being from another location on Earth, but you had yet to cover geography with him. Frantically as you mustered up a thought of what Kylo could say, a country you were more than positive Mila knew nothing about, Kylo cleared his throat.

“Uh I’m from…Moldova actually…my parents home schooled me…taught me fluent Basic-I mean English. We spoke English.”

Your brows furrowed for a moment. How did he know you were thinking of that? Was he that atuned already? You turned to look back at Mila, evaluating if she truly believed him or not. She eyed him up and down as she nodded.

“Ok…Eastern Europe yeah?”

He slowly nodded in response, looking to you in the corner of his eye for assurance. Though you hadn’t expected him to so confidently answer, you could at least assure him he was making valid claims.

“I see. Must have been interesting. Did you grow up in the city?”

“N-no…I grew up in the farming region. Really desolate. No neighbors.”

You winked in his direction, assuring him he was doing a good job conveying this story. You only hoped he would remember it at a later point if anyone else asked.

“No neighbors? Did you ever visit other cities?”

“No. My parents kept me very…sheltered.”

“How’d you end up driving out here? You know, with a life so sheltered.”

“I uh…I decided I needed to leave, needed to see what else was out there. There was nothing good left for me there. It was going to end up killing me…if I stayed.”

That sounded a little dramatic. Was he already this good of a story teller? Or was this his own story seeping in?

“So just curious if you have no one to contact, what happened to your parents? Any siblings still out there?”

He swallowed, his jaw looked stiff all of a sudden. The way he was adjusting himself in the chair seemed as though he was uncomfortable with the topic, or the lie. You weren’t sure which, but either way he was visibly not enthusiastic about answering her inquiry.

“Well…my father has passed…and my mother…lost contact with me once I was in my 20′s. I’m also an only child…so they were it.”

You looked over to him, realizing this story sounded a lot more specific than any lie would be. If he was telling the truth about his loss of connection with his parents it could be a huge factor into why he was with you now. Maybe his fathers passing was why he fled wherever he was from. He did sound conflicted over the subject, as if resentful, but also hiding some regret. Mila nodded as she finished her bite of pizza.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine.”

He went back to his pizza as Mila tilted her head watching him. She was obviously curious, how could she not be? The man was seemed odd and practically begged for questions to be asked with the way he looked and acted.

“Yeah. So…back home did you drive? (Y/N) said you had no license on you.”

“Yes, but not often.”

“Interesting, so you were sheltered but somehow got a car.”

She strummed her fingers over the table, resting her chin on her hand. She obviously was critical of his response. In her defense it did sound ridiculous to someone living in a big city. She had a devious little smirk grow across her glossed lips.

“Did you leave any girlfriends behind?"

You rolled your eyes. Mila was always the one to snoop around for information on people’s relationships whether it was warranted or not. She swore it was because of her psychology major, you however knew better. As you looked over to Kylo you noticed he fidgeted in his seat.

“Uh…I never had relationships back home…”

Mila scoffed, “You’ve never been in a relationship?”

Kylo shook his head, keeping his head down as he ran a hand through his raven locks.

“I was sheltered. Obsessively.”

Though you weren’t aware, almost no one in the Order had ever dared question him on such things. Mila was in fact the first person to ever ask him about the subject. Intimacy and love were seen as weaknesses, distractions from what he had dedicated himself to. It opened too many possibilities for him to develop feelings, become weak. Though he was aware of the most genericly vague information regarding the topic, his extremely sheltered and controlled environment left him with no exposure, or experience. He had hardly pondered the idea even once.

“Come on Mila, ease up. Some people just don’t…could be a religious thing, could just be not meeting the right people. It’s his perogative.”

She nodded but her smirk obviously proved she wasn’t finished prodding him.

“Yeah, but I mean with how old you are…are you a virgin?”

He shifted again in his seat. Though his expression was blank, you could tell he was uncomfortable. Unbeknownst to you, though he knew enough about the subject, his life had not allowed for any such connections or experiences. With Snoke grooming him to be the perfect protege, he also groomed Kylo’s views on the world around him. One of those things being sexual relations and relationships in general. Had Kylo not seen individuals with thoughts pertaining to those things as weak or foolish, Snoke would have likely lost a grip on him much sooner than later.

“Um-”

“Are you Sigmund Freud all of a sudden? Come on, he doesn’t have to tell us that. He’s our guest, not your therapy client.”

“I’m just trying to figure out what he’s all about.”

“The whole virgin thing is not even relevant to that Mila.”

_Thank you._

“Y-”

You froze. You knew you heard it, yet it wasn’t out loud. It was definitely Kylo’s voice, but with more of an echo quality to it. You peered over to him to see him looking at you. How had you possibly heard him if he wasn’t speaking aloud? You hesitantly nodded, not sure what the appropriate way to acknowledge his statement was.

"Speaking of sleeping,” You rolled your eyes again taking a bite of your pizza as Mila scooted closer to the table.

“How are you liking the couch? I know it’s pretty dingey.”

He looked up to her as he swallowed his last bites. He shrugged.

“It’s fine. …Better than where I was sleeping.”

Though you couldn’t be entirely sure, you were almost certain that was a lie. How was your old couch an improvement? Had he been homeless before?

“Huh… Well obviously, from what (Y/N) has told me we’ve got a lot to teach you about living here.”

“You’ll get the hang of things eventually Kylo. Just have to be patient with yourself.”

He nodded, flashing you a small grin. Mila sighed as she stood up from her seat, resting her palms against the table.

“Alright kiddies, I need to get some shut eye. I’ll withhold my other questions for another day. I’m not done grilling you though.”

She pointed a finger at Kylo, he simply stared back at her confused. With a smirk she pushed herself off the table and gave you a little wave with her fingers. You shook your head and smiled at her.

“Night Mila.”

She waved to you both once more as she shut her bedroom door behind her. Kylo looked to you as you collected the paper plates.

“She talks a lot.”

You snorted, “Yeah. She does have a bit to say.”

He fell silent again, staring at you for a moment before he spoke a little softer.

“…You’re really fine with me here?”

“Look, obviously I was hesitant, but I’m seriously fine with you here. Just don’t do anything creepy and you can stay there without an issue.”

His brows furrowed, “I wouldn’t-”

“Kylo seriously. It’s all fine. Are you fine?”

He nodded after a moment, seeming at least somewhat content with your answers. You sighed as you set your hands down on the table for a moment.

“Good, now let’s watch some more trashy television. I have nowhere to be tomorrow.”

* * *

 

The next day you took Kylo to the Department of Licensing, or as most knew it the dreaded DOL, or DMV. If there was a place for the joy of your day to go and die, it would likely be the DMV. It was colorless, quiet, dull and painstakingly slow. Kylo sat next to you in the uncomfortable blue plastic chairs, his knee shaking as he bit his lip, peering around the room with his arms tightly crossed across his chest.

“How much longer do we have to wait?”

It was at least the 15th time he had asked you since you arrived. Obviously one of his qualities that you were now aware of was his impatience.

“I told you, until you see your number on the screen.”

He looked down at the tiny slip of white paper in his big hands, 206. His eyes went quickly to the monitor as it flashed to the next number, 189. He audibly groaned as he threw his head back. He leaned over to you.

“So I really can’t just go up there?”

You turned to him, your brow raised. He simply stared back at you, anticipating some kind of answer that would encourage him. After a few seconds, realizing he didn’t understand what your facial expression meant, you rolled your eyes.

“No Kylo, you really can’t. You have to wait like everyone else.”

“That’s absurd.”

His plump lips pressed together in a thin line as he turned forward again and released a heavy sigh. Like everyone else? He was Kylo Ren. If this were his galaxy or universe he would have people cowering and begging for him to go in front of them. Somebody would likely do the job for him out of fear of his scolding. He wouldn’t have to worry about such petty things.

_Ugh. It’s literally 20 minutes out of your damn day of doing nothing. Should’ve just dropped your impatient ass off and done something by myself._

He turned to you, your arms were crossed, one leg resting over the other as you tapped your foot. Though you weren’t painfully obvious, Kylo could tell that thought came from you. Your expression was blank, but your body language conveyed that you were unhappy. Unpleased with his behavior. You hadn’t realized he had heard it specifically, but the words hit him abruptly. Though you were simply thinking about your temporary annoyance with him, he was thinking of it at a deeper level. He had grown even more sensitive in the days that led up to his escape, as if suddenly aware to a full extent of how deep in the dark he was and how desperately he wanted out. As Kylo Ren he should have just brushed your annoyance off as irrelevant, like he did so many of his workers, but you were different. You were his only friend here. Hell you were his only friend period. His only chance of having a real life here. If he truly wanted a chance to put his past life behind him the last thing he would be doing is pushing you away. He cleared his throat, speaking words he almost never uttered before.

“I’m sorry..”

His tone caught your attention as you turned to him, his brown eyes looking softer than they did a minute ago. Was he upset?

“…Ok.”

“I…I should be more patient…even if I hate it.”

You laughed, “Kylo, I’d be lying if I said everyone in here was on a saintly level of patience. Especially here. Nobody enjoys it here ok? You were just being a little too brash with your impatience.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“You were upset with me.”

“It happens Kylo, people get frustrated. Just…deal with it in a better way.”

“So you’re not mad at me?”

You grinned to yourself. Was he actually concerned about appeasing you?

“No Kylo, just very temporarily annoyed. I promise.”

He hesitantly nodded as he turned forward again. He looked up to the monitor to see what number the red dots had made this time. 193.

 _Damn it_.

* * *

 

Later in the day, deciding Kylo needed a lesson in behavior on Earth the most, you took him to a coffee shop, smack dab in the middle of downtown. With how the window was facing a main entrance to a mall, apartments, a bus stop and other businesses you figured he could at least get a small start. People watching would definitely be interesting and educational for him.

“So they make the drink now?”

“Yeah, so now we go sit, wait for them to call our name and then get our coffee. Do you have coffee where you’re from?”

He shook his head, “The word doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Hmm, well we’ll figure it out. Let’s sit over there.”

Taking a small table by the large window you looked to Kylo. Awkwardly he tried to sit in the seat, arranging his long limbs appropriately.

“Ok so my idea is, since you aren’t from here, if you see any kind of behavior you don’t understand out there you can point it out. Then I’ll explain it to you. It’s really small and not even covering a majority of life here, but it’s a start.”

He nodded. Intently he narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window, leaning onto the table with his arms crossed over each other. He nudged his head to the left.

“That man over there, with the square object with a snout in front of his face. What’s he doing?”

You looked over to see a man holding a Nikon camera, you giggled at Kylo’s description. The lense really did look like a snout.

“That’s a camera, he’s taking pictures.”

He nodded again seeming fascinated by the idea that the object could capture photos. Rubbing his chin his eyes began to move to the side.

“Huh. What about those furry creatures? I keep seeing them everywhere.”

Your eyes followed his gaze finally landing on a lady with a chihuaua.

“Dogs. Trust me you’ve seen nothing yet, they have entire parks for them.”

His eyes went wide, “An entire piece of land for just these little things?”

You nodded, amused at his reaction. How was he not familiar with dogs?

“What are those squares the people are carrying? The ones walking out of the taller tower.”

“Briefcases, that’s the trade center. So they carry their paperwork in there. Generally everyone you see out in the city with a suit or more formal attire like that work in a building similar to that. They’re usually either bankers, real estate agents or generic business people.”

He nodded, rolling his lip into his mouth as he took in what you were saying.

“That woman…the one with the blonde hair, why is she pushing a cart out here?”

You looked a little further to the side to see the woman walking towards the mall and laughed a little.

“Oh, no, no Kylo that’s a stroller. Carts solely only look like the ones we used at the store. That however is a stroller, which are for babies. To put them in safely, you know? So the parents get to roll them around town.”

“People transport their children in those?”

You nodded with a grin, “I would imagine it’s easier than having them strapped to you like a monkey most of the time.”

“What’s a monkey?”

You laughed half heartedly as you ran a hand down your face.

“We obviously have a lot to cover.”

Kylo’s brows furrowed, seeming more hesitant now in his speech.

“There’s so much to take in.”

You reached over the small table and softly put your hand on Kylo’s. He flinched at the sudden contact for a moment, obviously not expecting it. You hesitated, until he simply stared at you, causing you to retract your hand. Though it would probably take a while to find out, his past obviously made him hesitant to have this close of contact with others.

“You’ll get there, I promise. It just takes time.”

“KYLE!”

You chuckled as you looked up to see the barista sliding your two drinks onto the bar. Kylo obviously oblivious to the fact that the drinks were for him, kept looking out the window. You stood to retrieve them with a smile.

“This should be fun.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You take advantage of your last day off to show Kylo around, deciding a Natural History Museum and more people watching might do him some good. Later you set him up to survive the hours you’re away at work, ensuring he won’t burn your apartment down.

Kylo took a sip of his coffee slowly, proceeding with noticeable caution. You figured it was likely from your insistance of how hot it was. Then again, it could have been his hesitation with having no idea what was within the cup. The second the hot liquid hit his taste buds he suddenly perked up. His eyes seemed to open a little wider as a little grin grew across his face.

“Kaff!”

You paused for a moment from your coffee and raised your brows. Was he coughing?

“What?”

“Kaff! We have this where I’m from.”

You put down your drink as you smiled at him. For the first time since you had picked him up he seemed to be smiling, likely relieved he finally recognized something. You couldn’t lie, you were also happy to see him find something familiar for once. He likely didn’t enjoy being so dependent on you.

“Oh good! So you call it kaff?”

He nodded enthusiastically as he started gulping down the drink. You put your hands up, brows narrowing.

“Oh whoa, whoa slow down. I don’t know if you want to chug coffee like this. Might want to pace yourself a little. I don’t know how exactly similar…kaff is to coffee.”

He conciously slowed his sipping as he opted to put the cup down and look back at you. Giving him a smile once again you nudged your head towards the window.

“Why don’t you point out so more people outside?”

“First, the briefcase people. All those titles, what did they mean?”

“Oh! Well I’m assuming you know what bankers are so we’ll skip that. Umm, real estate agents. Those are the people who sell property, mainly buildings and land.”

“You have people for that?”

“Didn’t you?”

He shook his head, “No, people just sell it to anyone they please.”

“I’m sure that’s a lot less complicated than our system. Ok and business people in general. Well…hmm… I guess the best way to describe it is they generally run businesses or work on the corporate level.”

He stared at you intently, his expression blank. Thinking over what business truly entailed, you knew it would only turn into a series of 100 questions on just that subject. You waved your hand dismissively. 

“We can cover that later that’s not important.”

He nodded as he looked out the window again. He caught sight of something as you noticed his eyes following it. Intently he watched as it passed by, his eyes narrowing.

“That, is that an old hoverboard?”

Following his gaze you watched as he pointed out the window to a teenage boy skateboarding past pedestrians. Turning back to him you shook your head.

“No, that is what we call a skateboard. If you hear Mila or I refer to someone as a skater, we’re usually talking about a person who rides one of those.”

He watched the boy roll off into the distance, his expression seeming entranced in curiousity. You watched him stare intently at all the pedestrians, his eyes darting from right to left. Assessing behavior, taking note of garments and all the different mannerisms they had as they walked past. Though this idea sounded great, you realized the relay of information was too scattered. He needed consistency, a steady stream of information that would make sense to follow. Then it hit you, there was a place to teach Kylo about Earth, practically from the beginning.

“Hey Kylo.”

His eyes returned to yours again.

“Have you ever been to a museum?”

He curved his mouth as he let out a sigh, pondering the word. 

“Like a giant place with lots of old relics and statues that kind of tell you about history?”

His lips remained pouted as he focused, he understood the concept of such a place, but couldn’t recall ever coming across one. The closest thing he remembered resembling a museum were the halls royals typically had their portraits hung, or places like the Jedi Temple. He shook his head.

“I think I know our next stop then.”

* * *

Walking down a few blocks you finally came upon the city’s Natural History Museum. You honestly couldn’t remember the last time you had been there, except for maybe in grade school. But even with years of not going inside, you knew it was a great place to get Kylo the information he wanted and needed to better understand this new place, and likely his new home. Kylo looked up at the high ceilings in awe, his blank expression turned up to them in complete focus. His neck was craning to get the best view of it all. 

“I figured we could come here to literally teach you about Earth from scratch, from the beginning.” 

He brought his attention back to you, as he just barely tilted his head. 

“From the beginning?” 

“Mhm, this museum has the history of the planet and almost everything else you could possibly want to know about the natural world here. So shall we start aaattt,” 

You pulled out the museum guide as you pointed to a little dot. “Dinosaurs! That sounds like a good start.”

You motioned for Kylo to follow you as you went through the crowd of mostly families and school children. All of whom Kylo towered over as you guided him through. 

* * *

After a few series of stairs you finally arrived in the room. Stepping aside you decided to let Kylo wander the area and read the information himself. After all you didn’t need to hold his hand through everything. He would probably be better able to handle this new place if you occasionally let him wander. With how clingy he was however, you knew it would take a while, if he ever decided to go off on his own. 

Walking just behind him you watched as he intently read each of the little panels. Occasionally he’d look up and observe the display, look back to the panel and nod to himself. His fingers just barely grazing the plastic as he concentrated. You could tell from the look in his eyes the display of creatures fascinated him. He would intently scan the structure, taking in every detail. Even with the fossils, he would intently stare at them, as if trying to conceive in his head how they would look with the flesh described in the picture. The trip around the room was mostly silent between you two as you let him take it all in. 

As you rounded the room you followed behind as he came to a halt at the last display, the T-Rex. His eyes went wide as he observed the display, taking special notice of its teeth. You watched him crane his neck out, to get a better view under the mouth, his eyes darting around it. 

“What do you think?”

“Interesting…how they all just…vanished.”

“Yeah… Not every single one, but pretty close.”

He paused as he looked down to you with wide brown eyes, “There’s still some out there?”

“Well…their evolved descendants…not the actual dinosaurs. Don’t worry you’ll never run into one of these.”

He nodded again.

“Ok lets go check out the animals next.”

You guided him out of the room and into the next exhibit of mammals. To say he was fascinated would be an understatement. Though he took his exploring very seriously, you could tell by the way his pale face would scrunch up or his eyes would glitter under the lights as he looked up from he panels with a pout, he was intrigued by it all. Sure his galaxy had many species as well, but seeing ones he had never heard of, or dreamed of knowing had him captivated. He particularly took his time as you approached the display of wild cats. He seemed impressed by their general physique. The sharp claws coming out of their soft paws, the defined muscles in their legs, the sharp teeth in their snarls and the intense eyes, though fake that were glaring back at him.

From there you took him through the ocean exhibit, which also equally had him focused and fascinated. He stared at the panels reading about each individual type of fish they had displayed, taking his time to observe them quietly as you did the same. He would watch, mouth barely open, as the various fishes in all the tanks went about their usual business. Floating from one end of their tank to the other. Some he would put his large hand up to, trying to observe them more closely. As you continued through, reminding him there was more, his eyes were wide again under the blue lighting as he looked up at the giant hanging displays of whales and sharks. He particularly spent his time staring at the model of a great white sharks teeth as you made your way out of the exhibit. You could tell by the way he stood in front of it, ducked his head into it and studied it he was impressed. Possibly even fearful that a creature existed amongst all those little fish with such jaws. 

For your own amusement, you took him through the butterfly exhibit which you figured he should see quickly. Though he didn’t seem like the type, based on what fascinated him, to enjoy butterflies it couldn’t hurt. Within a minute of walking through the humid indoor gardens a black and orange butterfly fluttered up to Kylo’s face. Its wings fluttering closer and closer to his eyes. He quickly flinched away as you giggled.

“What are these things?”

“Butterflies, they don’t bite I promise.”

“Why must they get so close?”

“They’re a lot like you, curious.”

He paused, considering your statement. You didn’t see it, but a little smirk grew on his lips. He was impressed by your witty response. He watched as another butterfly, this one a soft yellow fluttered down on top of your head. It gently sat there as you continued to walk through. Kylo was intrigued that you didn’t react or even feel them on you, in fact it seemed as though you enjoyed them being around you. You turned back to Kylo with a chuckle. There were butterflies both big and tiny on his shoulders and one just landing on his back.

“I see you’ve made a few friends.”

He looked over to his shoulder and instantly flinched as he started shaking off the little group of butterflies. He had been so busy following you he hadn’t even realized their presence.

“Kylo calm down, they’re innocent bugs.”

Once he shrugged the last one off he looked to you again as you gestured for him to follow you out. You decided to wrap your trip up at the Human Origins exhibit, which out of all of the ones you had visited, captivated him the most. 

It seemed as though wherever he had come from, the human lives there had a different story. His fascination seemed to be too vast for someone who had heard or seen this all before. Much like the other exhibits he stayed intently focused on all the information he read, except it seemed like he spent more time soaking it in. He spent extra time observing the displays, almost like a child hoping they’d come to life. Though you had to admit, walking through the exhibit with him made you observe it in a different manner, how did someone like him come to be in space? Sure there was research going out there from organizations like NASA, but with the sheer vast expanse that space was, who knew if they’d ever find all the answers. You had never considered another way for life to come to be other than what was shown and taught here on Earth.

As you looked back up to him you noticed him plop down in front of a display towards the end; human life cycle. You decided to quietly sit next to him as he observed it, the pout on his face conveying his concentration. Clearing your throat you decided to speak up, you were all to curious to hear what he was possibly thinking.

“Crazy huh?”

He looked over to you quietly, waiting for you to continue.

“That we all started like that…and look at us now.”

He looked back to the display, staring at the pictures next to all the different panels. Unbeknownst to you, in his head the image was making him glum. Of all the people in the galaxy, he was likely the last who wanted to remember that he was once that small, that dependent. In fact, he hadn’t thought about his childhood in a while. Though it was a huge factor into his reasoning to escape, he tried not to dwell on it too long. It brought up too many wounds that were still to a degree fresh. He shook the thoughts off, looking down at his shoes instead of you, he simply nodded in response.

“Yeah…crazy.”

* * *

After your trip to the museum you decided you needed to move onto one priority that was coming soon; leaving Kylo home alone. With how much he ate you would have to have the fridge and freezer stocked. You would likely have to buy a second fire extinguisher, just in case. Probably a few board games to keep him entertained. Maybe more supplies for your first aid kit. Basically preparing for the worst case scenario, though you hated to assume you had to. You took him through Target once again, this time he more confidently took the cart and followed behind you as you stocked up.

As you threw in some of the items you could tell by his expression he was confused. The most confusing being band-aids and gauze, he wasn’t sure as to why you were putting those in, but you weren’t going to take any chances. 

* * *

Once you arrived back home Kylo helped you empty the bags of groceries, inspecting each one carefully. Eventually he pulled out a frozen meal box, turning around in his hands.

“This…box, there’s food in it?”

He was holding a frozen meal box that was rather large, as you figured he’d scarf down 2 regular ones for a typical meal. You nodded in response as you continued putting away food. 

“Mhm, it’s just frozen. So you put it in the microwave for the amount of time it says and then you can eat it.”

He nodded as he turned the box around once more, his brows suddenly furrowing.

“What’s a microwave?”

You closed the fridge as you smiled, “It would probably be helpful to show you how to use that huh?”

He nodded, still unsure of what you were talking about. You gestured to the black microwave sitting in the corner of your kitchen counter. It was the only relatively new appliance in your apartment, courtesy of your parents. His brows furrowed as he looked at the appliance, wondering how it functioned. 

“This?”

“Yep, hand me that box real quick and I’ll show you.”

He handed you the box as you popped the little door open, ripping open the box and placing the plastic tray of food inside. You gestured for him to come closer.

“See you push these buttons to get the amount of time you want it to cook, so this one says…3 minutes. So you punch that in. Hit start.”

With a push of the start button the appliance came to life, the light bright and the tray spinning. Kylo stared at it intrigued for a moment. 

“Voila!”

“It’s cooking the food?”

“Yup, so now we wait. Why don’t you get some PJ’s on and I’ll get out the other stuff I wanted to show you.”

He nodded as he turned to your room. You started collecting all of your entertainment supplies, hoping it would be enough. There was everything from a deck of cards, Candy Land, 20 Questions, Kendama to movies. All you were hoping for was to keep Kylo occupied, as you knew his curiosity would likely either get him into trouble or get him hurt. Either way, you were trying your hardest to come up with things to keep him unharmed. Eventually he’d be able to leave the apartment by himself, but for now he was too unpredictable to be out there alone.

As he came back out from your room the microwave went off. Kylo flinched at the loud beeping, frantically looking around the room. 

“What was that?”

You laughed, “The microwave, your food’s done.”

He stood up straight again as he peered over at the black box, realizing the little light said ‘ _END’_. He cautiously walked up to it, eyeing both sides to make sure nothing was going to really happen. Just as he was about to push the door open it beeped again, causing him to flinch. You looked back at him laughing. 

“It’s not going to do anything I promise. It’s just telling you your food is done.”

He hesitantly reached forward as far as he could and quickly pushed the button to open the door. As it swung open he waited a moment, as if expecting something to crawl out of there and threaten him. He peeked into the door, getting a whiff of the finished meal. Deciding there was in fact no threat he reached in carefully and pulled it out onto the counter. He stared at it for a moment, as if assuring it was still truly food. Noticing his hesitation you walked up to him with a chuckle, grabbing a fork from a nearby drawer.

“It’s called Mac n’ Cheese. You’ll need one of these baby’s to eat it though.”

You put the fork up to him as he nodded, taking it from your hand. He looked back to the plastic tray.

“You ok?”

“Do I…what do I do?”

“You take the little plastic tray to the table and eat it with your fork there.”

He looked between the tray and the fork and nodded. He carefully picked up the tray and slouched himself into the chair, wasting no time in getting straight to his food. Grabbing your own meal you sat down at the table with him, as he took in a big bite only to suddenly have his mouth open. You quirked a brow at him.

“Hh-aahh-”

“Too hot?”

He nodded.

“Ok, just swallow those pieces and let your food cool.”

With a loud gulp he swallowed the noodles in his mouth, nodding at you as you started eating your dinner. After a moment of silence he looked over to you.

“…You’re nervous about leaving me?”

You stopped, looking up to him with furrowed brows. How could he sense what you were feeling so accurately? It must have been an ability he had worked on over the years, reading people. You sighed. 

“A little…there’s just so many things you still have to learn and all. I also feel kind of bad leaving you here cooped up, but it’s better than having you get hit by a car or something.”

His brows seemed to narrow at that last statement, as if trying to figure out how a car would possibly hit him. 

“You can’t take me to your work?”

You shook your head, “No. I would if I could, let you see what I do, but I definitely can’t take you to this job.”

He hesitated studying your face for a moment, “You have more than one job?”

You nodded, “Gotta have some money to have a little fun too. I nanny sometimes.”

“What’s a nanny?”

“Somebody who watches someone else’s kids while they’re gone. They get paid for how long they watch the kid.”

He nodded as he watched you take another bite of your food. Babysitting was something he knew of, but never had actually witnessed. By the time he was old enough to be asked to watch other’s children he was sent off to train with Luke, and at the First Order, the storm troopers trained from birth were kept somewhere entirely separate from the base and Finalizer. He had never really thought about them until now.

“So my plan for tomorrow is, I’m going to set you up with a bunch of movies to watch. That way even though you’re stuck here, you’re not just staring at a wall or something. You can always ask me questions about them later.”

He nodded, “What’s a movie?”

“Umm…I guess the best way to describe it is moving images with dialouge and sound. It’s like telling a story, but with moving images. Like if I were to record us right now on my phone, it could be considered a very short movie.”

He nodded, “So like a holo?”

“Um…if you mean like a hologram then yes, sort of.”

“So I just watch them?”

You nodded, “I’ll show you to how to use the DVD player and remote for it.”

* * *

Before you knew it the next day came around. You had so wished it was just your imagination and you actually still had the day off, but that was only in your dreams. You scurried around your room getting ready for your day. Your black tailored shirt freshly ironed, your black slacks ready to go. As you pulled your hair back in the mirror you heard Kylo stir awake in the living room. Raising your voice a little you called out to him.

“Morning sunshine.”

You heard a mumble and a yawn behind you. After some more shuffling he walked over into the kitchen. Following him you quickly grabbed your already made breakfast, making sure to pop two bagels into the toaster for him. You pulled out the cream cheese as you started rambling.

“Ok so if you need anything remember to call me using that phone over there. You just touch the number buttons and wait for me to answer, if I don’t, leave a message. I labeled all the numbers so the ones below mine are all named specifically if you need them. Like 911, don’t call that unless it’s a serious emergency. Oh! I need to write down our address for you in case. Also there’s Poison Control, my work number, Mila’s number, our landlord’s and the pizza delivery guy in case you want some. I put some cash on the coffee table. First Aid kit is in the cabinet above the toilet. Fire extinguisher is on the wall over there. You know how to work the microwave, don’t touch the oven, you’ve got the DVD player down. Oh! I almost forgot! What movie do you want to watch?”

As you finally took a breath you realized you sounded just like your mother when she used to leave with your cousins to be babysat. Although it was odd, and a little unsettling to realize, you also had a new understanding. She was on top of everything, ensuring nothing happened to you. In a sense you were doing the same for Kylo, he was like a child you had to ensure was kept safe. Or more so, a capable but lost and confused adult you had to keep safe. In a place this new, with a never ending possibility of scenarios that could happen to him, you had to cut down the possibilities at the least.  _Holy shit I do sound like my mother. Ugh_. Realizing you had finally stopped he looked at the pile of DVD’s you had put on the coffee table for him. He looked back to you.

“What would you suggest?”

You walked over to the table, looking over what you had actually put out for him. You and Mila were movie freaks, you didn’t always talk about it, but a lot of your spare cash after you had some fun went to movies. Whether it was in the theatres, your Netflix subscription or your growing DVD collection, movies were your investment. Finally your eyes caught a small pile of DVD’s. Just as you grabbed them, the toaster popped, causing Kylo yet again to flinch in surprise, his head instantly snapping in that direction.

“Ok what was that?”

You laughed, “That’s our toaster, and your breakfast popping out of it.”

You walked over and took the bagels out for him, placing them on a plate.

“Now you just put the cream cheese. And speaking of food, the fridge and freezer are all stocked with food for you for lunch. If my boss is feeling generous today I might come back with some of the catering food but we’ll see,  either way I’m covering dinner. You know where the Cheetos are.”

He smirked happily, you were sure you had fostered a new junk food addiction for him. 

“I’ll be back at 7 ok? Until then, pop these in the DVD player, sit back, enjoy and eat as much as you need.”

He smiled and nodded at you as you handed him the DVD’s. Grabbing your things you started walking to the door before Kylo spoke again.

“What is this?”

“A movie, one of my favorites actually. I suggest watching them in order. So 1-6. I should be back by the time you start 4, so we can watch the rest together.”

You smiled at him as he nodded understandingly.

“Have a good day, remember, no oven, phone numbers, feed yourself!”

“Bye.”

He waved as you shut the door behind you. With a sigh he looked around the empty apartment. It seemed so lonely now, though someone like him should be more than accustomed to being alone. With a shrug Kylo walked over to the table sloppily putting cream cheese over the bagels you had made for him. As he picked them up and started eating, his face lighting up as he tasted the warm bread, he went back to observing the DVD’s you had told him to watch. He picked up the first one in the pile, turning it around so he could read the title.

_‘Star Wars: Episode 1′_

Taking another bite he nodded to himself as he walked back towards the couch. Placing his food down he crouched down to the DVD player which you had turned on for him, and popped it in. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving Kylo home alone for the first time, you come home to learn some new and surprising things about him. Particularly, a lot about where he’s from.

As he settled himself on the couch Kylo continued eating his breakfast, staring at the screen. Despite his large frame, if you had seen him, he would look like a child about to get deep into movie night. As he pressed play he put his legs on the couch, crossing them under his weight. The screen went black for a moment until the infamous blue text appeared, 

_A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…_

Kylo quirked a brow at that, figuring you must have chosen this for him because it was about space. He wasn’t going to complain though, the fact that you were even considering him and what he wanted at all was a welcomed change. 

Another crunchy bite went into his mouth as the grand intro music filled the room. As it kept going, Kylo subtly perked up. Though he didn’t enjoy many things, he certainly enjoyed the orchestration this film had. He appreciated the dramatic sounds of the instruments. Getting distracted by the sound, he stopped paying attention to the text going up the screen. As the music grew softer and he saw the text disappeared he finally brought his full focus to the screen. Finally finishing his breakfast he watched as the first shot came onto the screen. 

Observing the spacecraft approaching a sort of light grey planet, he squinted. That kind of craft looked like old ones his family would have likely traveled on. Obviously by its design it was not advanced. 

 _Interesting_ , he thought,  _this film galaxy has similar transportation to mine_. 

Suddenly an alien creature with a sort of formal headdress appeared in the screen of this ship, as it communicated with the pilots. His appearance making Kylo even more fascinated as he looked exactly like a Neimoidian. It had the same facial features, skin texture, even the eyes.

_“We would be happy to receive the ambassadors."_

As the familiar craft flew into the round bases landing dock Kylo was completely drawn in. The design of the giant base was quite interesting. Shaped like a crescent moon with one large orb in the center. Was this a design he had seen before? If he had, it was probably different, or so long ago he couldn’t remember the exact details.

Now there were droids, ones Kylo was sure he had learned about in his younger years. Their tan colored metal and thin build seemed all too familiar. Their narrow heads that slanted forward in smooth lines. Their robotic claw like hands holding standard black blasters. Kylo’s mouth went still entirely, ceasing to chew anything remaining in his mouth.

The more images passed on the screen the weirder it got for Kylo to watch. There was a blast door opening, similar to the ones he was all too familiar with back home. As it slid open, revealing a silver droid extremely similar to C-3PO, guiding figures in cloaks similar to Jedis into another room Kylo felt himself focus all of his attention to the images. How could your universe possibly have an exact replica of a droid such as C-3P0? Even if it was only in a film, it was far too similar. The cloaks as well, you hadn’t taught him about anything that would wear such attire yet.

His eyes were intently locked to the screen, had someone broken into your apartment he wouldn’t have noticed. This was getting too odd for him. It felt as though his mind was playing tricks on him. How could this fake galaxy possibly have so much in common with his? Your planet was solely filled with humans and different animals, there was no way to possibly know what these droids or aliens would look like to a tee.

As the men removed their hoods Kylo’s entire body froze stiff in shock. He had seen these faces before, though not in the flesh he had most certainly seen these individuals back home. Their facial features were far too familiar. He was positive there had been a lesson in the Jedi academy or a story retold to him that involved them.

_"I have a bad feeling about this."_

Kylos mouth just slightly fell open as he realized who he was looking at. That line no doubt belonged to someone he had heard stories about for decades, a man he was likely named after. He was in fact looking at a young Obi-Wan. Judging from the appearance of the man next to him he put two and two together and figured the man must have been Qui-Gon Jinn. 

_"But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future."_

Kylos hands clutched onto one of your pillows, trying to stop them from shaking. How did they know who Yoda was? This was far too coincidental and bizarre for him to properly process right now. His mind was running 50 miles a minute trying to figure out how your universe possibly could get their hands on a story from his own. When he fell through the black hole he was more than positive that he had gone past more than 4 different universes. 

Despite how oddly bizarre it was, he had to keep watching. There were far too many questions. What was happening? You didn’t know where he was from or who he was yet his galaxys past was on your TV screen for him to watch. It was bending his mind in a way he was not expecting to experience from one of your movies.

* * *

The end credits started rolling for Episode 1 as Kylo simply stared at the screen. He sat there, stiff as a rock and breathing heavily. He felt as though he had just been blindsided by the whole thing. Had you actually lied to him about not believing where he had come from? Did you actually have knowledge of his universe? How else would you possibly have this story at the ready on a disc for him? It seemed so surreal. 

Skeptically Kylo looked to the pile of the other DVD’s. His eyes just focused on the side title “Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones”. He wasn’t sure if he truly wanted to watch the rest of the movies. It was too much of a sudden shock to see. He had of course heard the stories before, this take however was from a different perspective. It was strange. To realize both sides had essentially preached their own versions of what had happened depending on their agenda. 

Biting his lip he continued staring at the DVD case, pondering. Would the rest of these tell the story how he was told? Would it turn out to be a different story with hauntingly similar elements in it? Who would he see next? It all festered in his mind, his internal voice questioning the possibilities.

Impulsively he decided he couldn’t restrain his curiosity. Standing up he took the DVD and put it in the machine as you had showed him before. As he closed the tray he decided to walk over to the kitchen. Knowing he would likely see something very similar to what he had just witnessed he swooped out a stash of food from your fridge, as well as the stockpile of Cheeto’s you had bought for him into his arms. He was going to try and distract himself from the stress and confusion of this with eating. At least as best as he could. 

He walked back over to the couch, setting his spread of various foods on one end of the couch as he settled himself on the other, sitting criss crossed once again. Letting out a hefty sigh he hit play. Already sensing his stress he snatched one of the bags of Cheetos, ripped it open and aggresively took a fistful of them. Almost angrily chewing them as he watched the screen intently again, determined to not miss a second of any of it.

* * *

Yet again as the end credits rolled past his eyes he felt as if he had been blindsided. This story was absolutely following what he knew to be mostly true. How was this possibly happening? How was a universe millions of miles away from his telling the story he knew so well when they had almost no idea it actually existed out there? 

You had told him some people believed in aliens, but that honestly nobody really thought about space past your own universe. They weren’t able nor completely concerned with what was going on outside of their own realm. To Earth’s defense, it wasn’t like Kylo’s universe really even tried to acknowledge the fact that Earth and it’s surrounding universe existed at all either. 

Gulping he looked back over to the DVD’s. “Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith”. If he had made it this far in the story he was surely positive of what was going to happen next. Something he would definitely not be able to refrain from watching. 

It was debatebly the most misunderstood, silenced and debated part of his grandfather’s story. He was almost positive everyone around him on both the light and dark side had their own takes. All of which they forced on him whether he agreed or not. His family had long supressed the story of Vader’s rising and life, in fears Ben would either be angry about being related to such an infamous villain or find too much inspiration in him. The name itself was rarely ever brought up in their household, aside from Ben trying to get answers. Then there was Snoke, his recollection seemed to see Vader as never feeling a tinge of emotion aside from anger or resentment and only saw success. 

Nervously he reached for the DVD, repeating the same routine. He settled back onto the couch sighing as he hit the play button.

* * *

Finally getting home you unlocked your door with a smile as you balanced all the bags of food in your arms. As the door swung open you made a B-line for the dining table, not entirely bothering to look over at Kylo.

“Hey Kylo! Guess who got to take home all the leftovers?!”

You looked into the living room as the bags all finally rested on the tables surface. Kylo was sitting entirely still watching the end credits of one of the films. He seemed to be at least somewhat present, so you continued. 

“I hope you like fancy Barbeque, I can tell you from the samples it tastes UH-mazing. Especially the mashed potatoes. 

He still sat facing the screen, not saying a word to you. Arching a brow you leaned to the side, attempting to see if he was going to have any reaction to your presence. 

“…Did you like the movies?”

He sat silent for a moment, just as you were about to question him again he turned around. His expression was blank as he stared back at you, the end credits still rolling behind him.

“These films…where did you get them?”

You shrugged, “Probably Target.”

“That’s not possible.”

Your brows furrowed again as you looked around the room, as if to see if something had changed. He seemed awfully tense about it, far more serious than you would have likely ever been. 

“…Well actually it is-”

“No (Y/N)…there’s…those movies..”

You raised your brow. What had him in such a mood from Star Wars? Surely there wasn’t anything that offensive in thm,. Or at least to you there wasn’t. 

“Oh what about them? Did you not like them? …Something…offensive about…space?”

He shook his head as he stood up, running a hand through his ebony hair as he sighed. From the way his body language looked before you, you would say he looked stressed and agitated. He pointed to the small stack of DVD’s on the coffee table as your gaze followed. 

“Those…I don’t know how…I don’t know if you’re withholding something from me.”

“Withholding something from you? Like what?”

“How did you get these?”

“I told you Kylo, I bought them at the store.”

“That can’t be possible!”

Your voice began to rise as well, “Yes it is! They’re films that you can buy at the store!”

“How is that possible?!”

“I don’t know! George Lucas made a film and people liked it enough to put in theatres and on DVD!”

“But HOW did he make this film?!”

“Why are you so concerned about how?!”

“Because it seems impossible!”

“Why?!”

“Because I’m from that universe!! Nobody here should know these stories as these movies show!”

Suddenly it felt as though the room had frozen in time. Had you heard him right? Were you just tired from work and hearing things? How could he possibly be from a universe from a fictional movie? Sure there were plenty of dimensions science had yet to reach, but even this scenario seemed far too impossible. Your brows raised, you looked to Kylo then to the DVD’s, then back to him once again as his chest rose and fell with his eyes boring into you.

“Y-…you’re telling me…you’re from the Star Wars universe? Like a planet from there?”

He nodded, looking as though he were on the verge of a breakdown. Though it likely wouldn’t be in tears, but rather destruction. You huffed faintly, shaking your head as your arms crossed under your chest.

“That’s not possible. …There’s no way that you are actually from the same universe. Star Wars is a movie.”

He stiffened his jaw, “It IS possible.”

Your brow quirked, “Then prove it.”

Kylo flared his nostrils before taking a few strides towards you, his walk and the swing of his shoulders coming off more intimidating than you had imagined. Gulping you watched as he slowly raised a hand up, just barely reaching for your head. Though you were about to scoff at him, you suddenly felt a building pressure within your head. Instantly your smug smirk was wiped from your face as the pressure grew. Furrowing your brows you tried to comprehend what was happening until suddenly you felt something. Something as if someone was physically carding through your brain, the tips of their fingers pushing past one thing to the next. 

He was reading your mind, reaching into depths and corners likely no one would deem possible. As if watching a movie you saw memories flash before you, playing out in absolute detail.

“I see what you see. …The beach…your friends…your family.”

Suddenly the pressure was growing stronger, as if his hands were physically crushing your skull between them. Wincing in pain you whimpered slightly.

“Kylo please.”

“Do you believe me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is this proof enough?”

You winced.

“Do you believe me?!”

“Kylo-”

“Do you?”

“Yes! I believe you! I believe you, please make it stop! Just make it stop!”

Just as your hands went to your temples you felt all of the pressure cease at once. Trying to compose your breathing again you let out deep breaths, in shock of what you had just experienced. It was certainly proof that he wasn’t lying, yet you couldn’t help but focus on the sheer anxiety that gave you. If he was really from that universe, how on earth did he get here? Why was he here? And most of all, who exactly was he before he came to you?

He gulped, looking you over with hesitation and from what you could tell a hint of regret.

“I apologize.”

Still breathing heavily you just stared back at him, still in absolute disbelief. 

“You…you’re really.”

He nodded.

“Oh my gaud.”

“Did you know about my home all along and say nothing?”

You shook your head, your mouth slowly forming a smile. As underlyingly terrifying as it was, it was also incredibly exciting. A piece of the films you loved and cherished was standing in your living room. Evidence that something more was out there was staying in your house. 

“No, no…no I didn’t even know it existed. Kylo I always thought they were just movies, someone’s crazy imagination. Holy shit to think of the- wait! …How accurate were the movies?”

He swallowed, still tense in his body language.

“Surprisingly. The stories were all accurate. The creatures, the ships, the droids…even the languages.”

You gasped, almost bouncing in place at this new revelation. It really was real. If it was enough to spook him to see on TV, it must have been accurate enough to actually exist, at least in his world. He lifted a brow at you.

“Why are you happy about this?”

“Kylo! You don’t understand! I’ve grown up loving these movies! I was always fascinated by your universe! And now..now I’m literally housing physical proof they exist. You’re…you’re like proof that even the craziest things in our imaginations could really be out there. That’s extremely exciting for me.”

He just barely grinned at you, or at least what you thought was his grin. He could sense your words were genuine and you looked at him with a lot less hesitation. Though he had nearly hurt you a few moments ago, you seemed to let that subside. From what thoughts he could hear, you seemed to understand his need to prove himself and his origins to you. It likely did sound ridiculous. Your eyes were now glistening at him as your genuine smile was spreading across your face. You gasped again.

“Ooo! Ooo! Also this helps me with helping you get around! I know what to refer to now!”

He nodded, that was a plus for his life here. Surely if you understood his background you’d have an easier time comparing things and teaching him about all of the new. 

“So are you…are you like a jedi?”

You smirked at him almost biting your lip as you held your hands in front of you. Had any outsider seen you they would have likely described you as a school girl. Anxiously and eagerly awaiting his response. 

He hesitated, afraid to answer the question now knowing your knowledge of his world. You had let him stay in your home for this long, but if you knew he was on the dark side, would someone as caring as you keep him around? Would you kick him to the curb realizing who he sided with? You were truthfully his only chance of having a real life on earth, not living on the street or abandoned in the woods.

Your smile dropped slowly as you stared back at his blank expression.

“ _People aren’t eager to see me where I’m from_ ”

 The words echoed through your head as you looked him over, trying to understand his hesitation. 

“Oh…you’re…”

“A knight of Ren.”

Silently you both stood there staring at each other. The man you were getting to know was nothing like what you imagined a hero would be, but at the same time you had no idea what a knight of Ren was. That was not discussed in any of the films. Had you missed it?

Part of you felt like maybe this was your red flag. All signs pointed to the dark side for him rather than the light. It was as if there was a silent signal to just drop him before he did something to hurt you. Of course he was capable of doing such a thing. The more you looked at him and spoke to him however, the less you got the impression that he wanted to remain the way he once was.

“And um…as a knight of Ren…what exactly are you doing on this planet?”

“I had no mission to come here. I came on my accord. Not as a knight of Ren. …Just as myself.”

"Yourself?”

He nodded, “I no longer need to be aligned with them. Nor do I wish to be ever again.”

Your brows raised slightly, “You came here…to escape?”

He nodded, “I understand if you don’t believe me. Given what you’ve seen in the films.”

“You really…you came to earth to escape life back there?”

He nodded again, “Yes. …I wanted to be free of the conflict and pain, so I left.”

You nodded now in response, trying to process what that even meant for him. He watched you hesitantly, trying to gage your reaction.

“I assure you I didn’t come here with the intention of harming anyone.”

You shook your head. He sounded surpisingly concerned about your reaction. Then again, you were his only source for housing and food at the moment.

“No, no. Umm…you’re different. Er, seem different. Different than those people. I don’t know a ton about you, but…I can sense you’re trying to…run away from the dark side. …Am I correct?”

He nodded eagerly, “More than anything.”

You faintly smiled at him, nodding. 

“Good…good. Well, you’ll be safe here, with Mila and I.”

He faintly smiled at you, “Thank you.”

“Okay come on, I’ll dish you up some BBQ and then we can finish the series so you can move onto some other movies. There’s millions out there.”

He nodded moving around the couch to stand beside you as you slopped massive portions of pulled meats, beans, potatoes, bread and vegetables onto his paper plate. You were likely going to have to start investing in workout equipment for him if you were going to keep feeding him like this. A man as big as he was though, you figured he could ravage your whole fridge if you gave him the chance and likely not gain a pound. 

After changing into your PJ’s you pulled up TV trays and set them in front of you and Kylo. Grabbing your plates you sat down on the couch settling down after you had put the DVD for Episode 4 in. He hunched over his table as he stuffed his mouth with a fork full of coleslaw. Cringing a little at the sudden sour flavor you giggled as you hit play.

“You like the food?”

He nodded, “It’s delicious, that was just…unexpected.”

You nodded as you finished your own bite of food.

Kylo looked to the screen as he realized the dramatic music was shifting to start the movie. Though the last one had left him feeling lied to, even betrayed to an extent, he was glad he had watched it. Strangely in a universe that did not itself experience that story, he received the truth of his grandfather. It put a part of his mind at peace, to know his grandfather in fact had attachment even when he went to the dark side, being solely dedicated to Kylo’s grandmother Padme, but truthfully appearing to betray those closest to him. At least Kylo had received that much from these movies.

As the screen went inside an off-white colored ship he saw you excitedly wiggle in your seat. Glancing over you smiled at him.

“This is one of my favorites.”

He nodded as he turned back to the screen. Suddenly his face fell as he saw familiar droids shuffling through the ship with alarms blaring behind them. C-3PO and R2-D2. Though he had somewhat willingly left the lightside and his family, he still was affected seeing them. Of course he’d supress the feelings, hide them under anger or indifference, but with Snoke gone, he had no real reason to supress them. 

As the image changed to R2 rolling into a little red lit compartment of the ship you both saw a figure dressed in white appear in front of him. You excitedly pointed to the screen with your fork. 

“Ooo she’s one of my favorite characters! Do you know her?”

Kylo focused on the screen as the figure in white finally revealed her face. His heart sunk. His grin at your excited antics drooped, his shoulders dropped. He could feel tears pricking behind his lashes, though he was sure he could choke them back.

“That’s my mother.”

Practically choking on your food you reached for the remote and hit pause. 

“What?!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming home from leaving Kylo alone for the first time, you discover where he’s from. The rest of the movie watching experience with him however gets very emotional, and suddenly the details from at least part of his past start flowing.

“You’re…that’s your mom? …Are you sure?”

He arched a brow as he looked to you, realizing you had paused the movie. Nobody had ever actually questioned the truth of who his parents were before. It seemed as though almost everyone was aware. Or at least he assumed they were. Though to your defense, you weren’t from the same galaxy, so how would you really know their true and vast legacy?

“Yes…I would know who my mother is.”

“But, like…your biological mother?”

He nodded.

“So…seriously you’re Princess Leia’s son?”

He nodded again, “I don’t understand why you think that’s so hard to believe.”

You released a huff of air as your hand found its way to your hair, just barely running through the locks. Though it was something you usually did out of stress, it materialized more as something of shock. As much as you believed him being from that universe after displaying his abilities, you never expected him to be a part of the galaxy’s infamous family legacy. 

“It just is. I mean…I realize that you’re from that universe, but I was not at all expecting you to…to actually be connected to any of the characters I’ve known for years. That’s…that’s a whole other level.”

“Level?”

“Yeah, when you said it was your universe I assumed you meant you were just from there…I didn’t know you were actually a part of the story. Wait! Holy shit!”

“What?”

You turned to him with wide eyes full of excitement. The more you thought about it, the more amazing it seemed.

“That means I know what happened after the last movie!! Nobody else does. Whoa..”

He just stared back at you, his expression blank. Obviously seeing as he didn’t understand cinema or how your universe had access to this story, he could not at all grasp the concept of your excitement over this. To him it was just plain facts, his parents were who they were. 

On your end, you were internally squealing with excitement. How was this even possible?! Someone with direct blood relation and lineation to the Skywalkers from your favorite movies was staying in your home. Your little dingy apartment. You were housing the physical proof that story was out there, and it was far from over. 

“Oh my gaud.”

“…Can we just finish the movie?”

You turned to him with a concerned expression. Perhaps in your excitement you had agitated him. Possibly reminded him of things he was leaving behind, or maybe even missed. 

“Oh…do you want me to turn it off?”

He shook his head, “No I mean I want to finish the rest. Like you said.”

Smiling you nodded as you leaned forward hit play again on the remote. Instantly the scene carried on, with Leia leaning out from behind a wall of the ship. Though Kylo wouldn’t admit it, even to himself, he was internally solemn and happy to see his mother’s familiar face again. Especially in the prime of her life. For him it was also in the perfect scenario. He didn’t have to emotionally engage with her, he could simply sit back, watch, maybe even reminisce. 

Admittedly the only thing he truly regretted leaving behind was Leia. She had never truly done anything to him, though she didn’t do everything he needed and wanted from her. Out of all the people left in that galaxy, he knew she was the only one left who genuinely cared about him. Most definitely the last person who had even the slightest strand of faith in him and who he was inside. 

Peering over to Kylo as you took another bite of food you tried to gage his expression which appeared blank at the moment. There was still a lot to learn about him and his past, but you wanted to figure out his feelings about seeing his mother again. Had it been you flying into some foreign galaxy, no matter how much your mother may have irked you, you’d be crying. Instead he was simply observing the screen. Maybe their relationship wasn’t great, maybe the cinematic visual of her wasn’t enough. With how quiet he was, you likely wouldn’t find out for months. 

About a half hour later you both still sat in silence as the movie continued on. Now you were watching the visuals of Tattooine. After learning who Kylo’s mother was, you figured that meant Luke was his uncle, who was now dawning the screen. Kylo seemed uninterested in his presence on the screen, still carrying a blank expression. With dinner finished and the movie still going you pulled yourself under a blanket as Kylo reclined himself.

Though he was still engaged with the story, unlike before he was less anxious and more observant. Considering he had come to peace with the odd phenomenon of your universe knowing these stories so accurately, he could just sit back and watch them unfold. He had heard some of these stories before, but of course not all of them. When it came to being honest about how much his parents and uncle got into, they certainly spared a few details. 

As storm troopers came onto the screen Kylo observed their armor. Mentally taking notes to himself on how the appearance had evolved over time, compared to the troopers he had commanded. The helmets they wore had certainly improved over time and become far more appealing as well. Before he could observe them any further the shot suddenly cut to inside a cantina. 

Furrowing his brows Kylo watched as the camera panned around to many miscellanious creatures, some he instantly recognized and some he was actually unsure of. With how vast his galaxy was, there was almost no assurance he would ever see all of them, no matter how many places he traveled. Also being on Snoke’s leash he rarely got to explore his own surroundings. 

Before he could prepare himself a new character suddenly appeared on the screen. Kylo’s gut instantly sank as his blank expression went rigid. He felt fortunate that you yourself weren’t force sensitive, at least that way he could act as though these visuals weren’t affecting him. A simple visual of a movie shouldn’t make him so emotional and reactive. Although he knew you were empathetic and kind, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to discuss this part of his life, or at least as ready as you were to hear it. Seeing the familiar smug smirk Kylo felt his hands start shaking again. Rather than obviously reaching for a pillow he gripped onto the arm of the couch, straining his hand.

“ _Han Solo. I’m captain of the the Milinieum Falcon_.”

You smiled at the screen, having loved the character for years. Knowing how the rest of his story progressed however caused you to suddenly pause in thought. If Kylo was Leia’s son, did that mean that this was his father? Slowly you turned your gaze towards him, watching him cautiously for a moment before you spoke.

“So…from what I know about the movies…is that your dad?”

Clenching his jaw, Kylo could feel his anxiety rising. He knew if he didn’t answer you’d keep asking, but he so desperately didn’t want to answer. Even a year after the fateful murder of his father at this own hands, he was still not ready to face the subject. He harbored so much guilt, remorse, his self hatred only grew and his ability to maintain a cold and unemotional front went crashing down like a landslide as he came to realize what he had done. A large contribution to his sudden decision to abandon the Order largely revolved around Han. Though Kylo resented him in some ways, he couldn’t truly stop himself from appreciating and loving Han in the way that he did. 

Taking a deep breath in he nodded. If he started speaking he was sure he was going to start slipping. Despite knowing he had emotion, he certainly didn’t want you or anyone else to know that.  

“That’s cool.”

He grit his teeth somewhat before answering you in a cold and dismissive tone.

“Sure.“

Suddenly Kylo stood up from the couch and walked off towards your room. Following him with your eyes your brows furrowed. Why was he leaving? Looking to the screen, then back to Kylo disappearing into your room and closing the door, you decided to pause the movie again. Maybe the visuals of his parents were finally too much. They were after all gone. Likely with how he got here, nobody would ever be able to find him again. Though you weren’t sure if he ever wanted anyone to. 

“Kylo? …Kylo are you ok?”

There was no answer, not even a shuffling from within your room.

“We can stop the movie if you want.”

Still silence. 

“I…I understand if it’s a lot…you know…to handle.”

Still nothing.

“Do…do you wanna talk about it? …I can just sit here and listen.”

The silence at this point was so defeaning you could actually hear your refrigerator humming for once. Clearing your throat you decided to try again.

“Please come out.”

Letting a few moments of silence pass, you suddenly heard your door knob click and the wood door creak open. Emerging out of the room Kylo kept his eyes to the floor as he moved back over to the couch next to you. Sitting stiffly with almost perfect posture he kept his eyes forward and his legs criss crossed like yours. Turning your body towards him you raised your brows. He didn’t move, or say anything to you. 

“So…do you-”

“I hold a lot of guilt about my parents.”

Stopping yourself from gesturing, you rested your hands on your criss crossed legs as you nodded to Kylo. If he was going to finally talk, you were not about to interrupt him. Sure it was sudden, but it was certainly welcomed. Keeping your expression neutral you looked at Kylo, trying to keep a faint grin, encouraging him to speak. 

“I let someone turn me against them. I went from admiring them to despising them, even when they were speaking to me I felt…enraged. …It didn’t turn out so great for any of us.”

Your curious grin slowly faded as you realized how serious this was turning. He was obviously aggressive, but it seemed as though it went deeper than just his physical behavior. Though now knowing he had belonged to the Dark side and he was running away, it sounded to you as though his level of aggression was not originally his choice and rather a consequence. 

“I’d rather not speak about them.”

Nodding slowly you kept your eyes on him as you could see he was holding back something. Whether it was tears or a scream you weren’t entirely sure, but he certainly was withholding something. He made a lot of emotional and solemn expressions, but you had yet to see a single tear fall from those eyes. Running a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath out.

“…Are you sure?”

He nodded, “What’s done is done. …Even with regrets.”

You felt a small tinge of empathy hit your gut in hearing the last part. Of course he wasn’t one to spill his heart out to you, but he seemed to be openly referring to himself in regards to regrets. It set your questions off in a spiral, wondering what he could possibly mean by that. What had happened with his parents that he would feel regret? What had been done? Looking him over once more you softly responded.

“…I’m sorry.”

He didn’t respond but instead looked down into his lap and stared at his palms for a moment. Expressing emotion other than anger was likely a new phenomenon for him. Grabbing the remote and turning forward you glanced over to him again.

“…Are you ok to finish the movies? I don’t mind if we stop.”

Looking to the screen with a glum expression adorning his angular features he released a wavering sigh. He really was fighting back emotion. He nodded, clearing his  throat.

“Yeah…I’ll be fine.”

Smiling you hit play again.

“Just tell me if you want me to stop them at any point.”

He nodded as he adjusted himself comfortably, mentally preparing himsef to watch his family for another few hours. Contently you smiled as the scene carried on, with Han discussing a deal with Luke and Obi-Wan to be flown out of the system.

As Han and Chewbacca returned to the screen together, you just barely glanced over to Kylo from the corner of your eye. A single twitch of his lower lip caught your attention. Though he seemed to quickly make it stop fairly quickly. Perhaps something big had happened. Perhaps it was why he was here. The only question being what exactly had happened. Trying to stop yourself from thinking anything about his reaction you focused your attention back to the screen.  

* * *

By the time you reached “ _Return of the Jedi_ ” late in the night, Kylo had held most of his cold demeanor throughout the film. That is of course, except for the little moments you caught him slipping. Mostly when his parents took the screen together. Whether it was a twitch of his lip, a shift of his facial expression or a sniffle, he showed in little ways that it affected him. That all however led up to what you saw beside you now. 

Truthfully you weren’t sure if he had gotten so engrossed in the film that he forgot you were there, but a tear made its way down his pale cheek. It was rare, unexpected and surprising but definitely telling. He had tried so hard to withhold any reaction throughout all the films until finally he couldn’t hold it all in anymore. As small as it was.

The visual that finally got to him was of his young parents surrounded by joyous ewoks were lovingly holding each other, looking into each others eyes the way they spoke of but he had never seen. Though it was disappointing it had taken him this long and going down this path to see it, he was finally seeing it for himself. Despite all the bickering, the times away from each other, the politics of getting involved in the war and their way of handling him, they loved each other. 

The corner of his lip turned up ever so slightly as his parents embraced each other, with Han planting a kiss on Leia as he spun her around in the crowd of Ewoks. They both looked so happy, so genuinely ecstatic to be reunited, knowing they had finally made it to the end of the war. He wasn’t usually one for sentimental moments, but he certainly enjoyed and would cherish that visual. 

Soon the screen shifted to the group, Han, Leia, Luke, Lando, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 surrounded by Ewoks in celebration, all wearing jubilant smiles. Then it suddenly returned to the credits, instantly removing the image. Turning yourself towards him you gave him a small smile.

“So did you like the movies?”

Attempting to conceal his reaction to it all yet again, he cleared his throat and changed his expression. He turned to you with a neutral face.

“Yes I did. Thank you.”

Clearing your throat you reached behind you to the end table as you spoke to him.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I know you have a lot to process and feel about the movies. So I thought I’d give you this…a sort of apology or pick me up. Whatever you’d like to acknowledge it as.”

His brows furrowed as you sat back up and presented him with a pint of ice cream. You smiled as you slightly waved it before him.

“It always makes me feel better.”

He stared at the container curiously, tilting his head to the side.

“What’s Ha..a..gen…what is this?”

“Ice cream. It’s pretty amazing I’m not gonna lie.” 

Though hesitant he took the pint and spoon from you carefully. Even holding it in his hands he proceeded to inspect it, narrowing his eyes to read the packaging. Picking up your own little pint you tapped it against his suddenly catching his attention. He looked at you curiously.

“Cheers, to the first step in moving on to your new life.”

He still stared at the pints, but smiled faintly at you. Even though he hadn’t said a word elaborately about what he wished to do here, you somehow knew. As if you understood him.

“Thank you.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a quick catch up on what has happened in Kylo’s universe since his highly unexpected and quick escape from the First Order. Both sides dealing with the news in their own fashions. You leave Kylo home alone again, with far less emotional movies to occupy himself. Mila also decides it’s time for Kylo to have more than 2 people to lean on and finally brings her boyfriend Tony into the picture.

_In a Galaxy Far Far Away:_

With a resounding echo through the eerie and dark hall, Hux made his way down the thin marble walkway. Every little click of his boots filling the room with the ripple of sound. His firey red hair was a stark contrast to the overwhelmingly dark surroundings, only lit by the one stream of light from the enormous hologram projected at the end of the walkway and small bulbs illuminating the walkway. Portrayed in that hologram was none other than the illusive Supreme Leader himself. 

Creature or man, it was never quite clear from his appearance exactly what he was. His pale, washed out skin, leathery and strained in appearance matched the dreary air surrounding his haunting presence. Strumming his oddly thin hands over the arms of his large throne, he kept his sunken eyes focused on Hux as he finally arrived in front of him. Barely shifting his jaw, he sat up straighter in his marble throne. 

“General Hux, what news do you bring me on our Knight of Ren this evening?”

Scowling at the very mention of him, Hux brought his piercing icy blue gaze up to the hologram. 

“Supreme Leader, despite our best efforts we cannot find any trace of Ren. The search brigades have been tirelessly turning over every last corner of the galaxy. We only have a handful of systems left to search before we have covered all the possible locations left in this galaxy.”

Bringing a hand to his sickly face, Snoke stroked his chin considering Hux’s statement. The search for Kylo had now reached a total of several days. The First Order had done more than put out all of the stops in search of the dark knight. The search teams were constantly rotating and constantly on patrol across the galaxy. Whether within their own system around the newly developed Starkiller or to the farthest expanses of space they could reach, someone serving the Order was always on the watch for Kylo. They raided every house, every shop, every cantina and government building they came across in their destructive and blind determination.

The First Order may have been strong, but without the Knight of Ren reigning terror any longer, they lacked a severely vital tool to their success. The dark side may have produced many worthy force users, however none seemed to quite measure up to the raw power Kylo possessed. More than anyone, Snoke was aware of this, and he wanted nothing more than to drag the infamous Knight of Ren back to his ‘rightful’ place. Whether to torture him or to simply welcome him back, no one was sure. His sickening obsession with finding him however, proved just how desperate he was. 

“Not even of the TIE fighter he comandeered?”

Hux shook his head, “No Supreme Leader. The last that TIE fighter was seen was when it descended through the black hole we had discussed. It appears as though the black hole did in fact lead to another galaxy other than ours, or to an abyss.”

Scowling, similar to Hux Snoke let out a low grumbling sound as he leaned forward, his expression holding even more aggression.

“Continue the search. No matter the cost…bring, him, to me.”

Hux regarded Snoke with a stiff nod, “Yes Supreme Leader…with pleasure.”

As the hologram seemingly evaporated into the air of the bleak hall, Hux clasped his gloved hands behind his back and began his walk back into the winding metal halls of the base. With a devious smirk across his lips he thought over the whole scenario. It was no mystery to anyone that the General absolutely loathed Kylo from the moment he met him, but he had never had an opportunity of power over him like this. 

Due to Kylo’s force sensitivity he was often regarded as more valuable to the Order than Hux and his precisely ruthless military tactics. Time after time, Hux’s work was made to look as though it was less than satisfactory, simply because of his colleagues supernatural abilities that impressed their Master. It got under his skin like an obnoxious parasite that he had to tolerate daily despite his desire to simply destroy it.

After Kylo’s sudden escape however, the tables did seem to turn. His emotional and desperate departure made him appear weak in the eyes of the Order. In Hux’s eyes it exposed him, exposed who he truly was beneath that pathetic mask he wore to conceal himself. He was too easily swayed, highly impulsive, impatient, weak willed, and far too emotional to be in such a position of power. 

Of course Hux saw himself as a more suitable candidate to be in that position of power. When word reached him that the brooding knight had stolen a ship and was barreling into space as quickly as he could, he couldn’t deny that he was somewhat pleased. He finally had reason to strip the force wielding man child of his power and his status of respect. He could take his rightful place in full control of the First Order.

Finally returning to the light of the base, his pale skin finally appeared to have color under the light. He made a sharp turn to his left as he approached the end of the hall, where none other than Captain Phasma herself was standing. Her chrome armor shined underneath the bright glare from above, her blaster held close to her chest.

“Send out your patrols again. We are not nearly through with Kylo Ren.”

* * *

On the Resistance base, sitting in the cool grass, Leia released a deep sigh. Beneath the starry night sky she sat, simply staring out at the expanse of space above her. Her face was just barely illuminated under the moonlight, highlighting the faintest details of her solemn expression in the dark. Though it was usually a calming and joyous thing she did to watch the stars, it seemed different this time. This time she wasn’t observing the stars so much as staring at them in anticipation. As if something would emerge. An answer, a sign, something. 

Coming up the grass hill from behind her she heard faint footsteps approaching. Not even bothering to look behind her, as she could already sense who it was, she kept her eyes fixed on the stars. 

“General Organa..”

She released a soft sigh through her nostrils before faintly speaking.

“Yes Poe.”

“I uh, I got the latest on the search.”

He paused, not wanting to deliver a lack of news yet again for at least the 10th time this week to the General. It seemed redundant and although he didn’t care for Kylo, he knew it hurt Leia every time. Her only child who she had held such high hopes of seeing again had seemingly vanished. Though with her force sensitivity, Leia already knew where he was going with his answer. 

 “…They haven’t found anything.”

Still staring at the sky, Leia felt her heart sink just a little further into her gut. It had been several days since she had heard the frantic development that her son was making an escape from the First Order. What was supposed to be an interference to collect intel became an emotional and far more interesting development. Ever since the chaos that ensued in the control room that evening however, everything had seemed to cease. The days since seemed to drag on and on as she awaited any actual word of his condition or whereabouts. 

To some relief, she received the gratification that she was right about her son, there was still some light within him. To her grief however, his escape led to his apparent disappearance. Though the rumors circulating were scattered and unclear, from what the First Order allowed to be revealed, Leia knew he was surely making a point of disappearing as far as he could possibly manage from all of them. He was far enough that she couldn’t sense much of anything from him through their bond. His connection with her was cut off by distance, a likely significant distance.

“I figured…thank you Poe.”

Gently Poe walked up to Leia, patting her shoulder lightly with an earnest smile. 

“I’m sorry.”

Placing her hand gently over his she turned back to him with a smile, noticing Chewbacca standing with him. Lightly patting the back of his hand, she nodded.

“Thank you.”

Poe nodded once more, giving her another reassuring pat on the shoulder before he dismissed himself back to his quarters. Looking up to Chewbacca Leia grinned, patting the patch of grass next to her. Had anyone told her those many years ago when she first met the infamous wookie that she would actually be fond of his company she would have scoffed. Now however, he was all the family, aside from her brother, she had left. With a soft grunt Chewie nodded and slowly seated his large, furry frame next to her. She sighed as she looked back to the sky again.

“I can sense it Chewie…he’s alive. I don’t know where he is…but he’s out there somewhere.”

Chewie made a low gargling sound as he gestured to the sky with one of his large hands. Leia nodded.

“Somewhere far out of our galaxy…but he’s out there.”

Making almost a humming noise Chewie carefully wrapped an arm around Leia’s shoulders as he brought her into his furry side. Not bothering to protest Leia smiled as the wookie ran his hand up and down her arm, both their eyes still watching the stars. She didn’t have to say much, considering Chewie already knew how much this all meant to her. He knew at the very least she wanted her one and only son back. Despite everything that had transpired. 

“I just hope he’s alright…stars knows what happened to him out there.”

Growling in a low tone, Chewie made a few more gestures with his free hand.

“…I don’t think he ever will. He made it quite clear. …At least this way I know he’s free from them…even if it means losing him for good.”

With a solemn growl Chewie brought Leia’s head closer into his soft shoulder as he continued to soothe her. Trying to hold back tears she kept her eyes focused on the stars staring back at her. She hated to live with the idea of her one child never returning, never seeing him fully grown as Han had seen him in his last moments. To think her child was almost literally dead in her life, with only holos to remind her of his existence. Though she couldn’t deny that she was relieved, her son was finally free from Snoke wherever he was. 

Releasing a deep breath she watched one of the distant stars glisten a little brighter than the others. A bright flare and glimmer that couldn’t be missed. Keeping her eyes fixed on it, she smiled to herself, imagining that it was him sending her a message. 

_He’s free._

* * *

_In that other galaxy on Earth:_

A week after that evening you had returned home, you were repeating the same routine from before. Kylo was left in your apartment, binge watching whatever movies you calculated would keep him occupied until you returned from work, sharing dinner occasionally with Mila. 

Not too long after he watched the films, finally digested the content he had seen on your TV screen and had a day to ponder it all, he of course reacted. He insisted you take him to meet George Lucas, question him on how he could possibly know anything about this universe if he had never visited it at all. He also insisted you take him to wherever your planet’s space program functioned, in hopes of finding some answers. 

Trying to be humorous with his ridiculous request you joked that Lucas was possibly from there himself, only causing Kylo’s inquiry to grow worse. Obviously you almost forgot how serious Kylo was and continued to be. Day after day he would continually wait for Mila to leave the room before he insisted you show him how to log onto your laptop, or ‘datapad’ as he called it, so he could research the man. Finally after the week of denying him time and time again, his imploring grew to be almost non existent. Though he would still try and bait you by asking you things about San Francisco, where the Lucas studios were located, receiving only an eye roll from you. Especially when he implored about possibly going on a vacation.

This night you brought home more catering leftovers, deciding Kylo once again needed real food as opposed to the junk food he was growing fond of rather quickly. Unlocking the door to your apartment, you carefully swung it open with your one bag slung over your forearm and a smile across your face.

“Hello!”

Peering into the living room you saw Kylo, attempting to figure out the paddle ball you had given him, in his pajama pants and his black hoodie pockets stuffed full of Cheetos. Looking up at you he faintly grinned.

“Hello.”

Setting the bag down on the table, you started pulling the food onto the table as you glanced over at Kylo again. He was now throwing the little ball into the air as he chewed on a cluster of Cheetos, flinching slightly as the ball almost flung into his face. The sight alone made you wonder if you were reverting him back to adolesence. This was definitely how most of the teenage boys you knew acted. 

“Did you have a good day here?”

He shrugged, still focusing on the paddle board with furrowed brows.

“Yeah. I watched those movies you suggested, ate, slept a little more, ate again and now I’m trying this.”

Truthfully it sounded a little boring when he said it out loud, but considering his situation you were happy to hear it. The last thing you needed was for him to be out and about with no money or knowledge of the world just outside your building. Smiling to yourself you started setting the table for dinner.

“That’s nice. …My day went pretty well. I got a raise!”

Kylo looked up to you with raised brows as he heard the enthusiasm in your voice. Seeing you smiling as you set up the table his lips just barely parted.

“Oh?”

“Yeah! My boss was so impressed with how much I’ve been taking on she bumped my hourly rate up to $17 instead of $15. I don’t know a soul in the food business that makes that much, at least not at my level.”

Kylo nodded before turning his attention back to the paddle board.

“So maybe we’ll get to do something actually fun on my days off! Now that we have the funds to support it.”

“Mhm.”

Looking over you saw Kylo, levitating the small ball in the air above the paddle board. With the softest motions of his hand, he moved the ball up and down, mimicking the movement it was supposed to make when it bounced against the paddle. He had grown impatient trying to hit the ball against the paddle and decided to use his powers to get the same result. Rolling your eyes as you set down the last of the silverware you shook your head at Kylo.

“Resorting to the force huh?”

“It’s working.”

“You know it’s supposed to move faster than that right? That’s why they give you the paddle.”

Just as he levitated the ball in the air again you heard the doorknob clicking again. Your eyes widened.

“Kylo! Put that down, it’s Mila!”

Instantly dropping his hand, the ball hit the paddle, just barely bouncing. Kylo stared at it as the door slowly swung open with Mila grinning from ear to ear. She must have had a great day, considering she usually greeted you with a sort of indifferent expression.

“Hey, hey!”

“Hey Mila.”

Just as you turned your attention back to the food in front of you, you suddenly heard another voice join hers.

“What no hello for me?”

Instantly your gaze flew up looking over her shoulder. You couldn’t help but smile as you held out your arms wide at the sight behind her.

“Tony!”

Walking up to you, Tony brought you into a hug momentarily before giving you a good pat on the back. Though you teased Mila constantly about how often she disappeared into his apartment, or how suave he was with her, you couldn’t deny you were elated that your best friend had such a sweet boyfriend. From the moment you two had met him at one of the many college parties you attended, you couldn’t deny it, he was like a walking beam of sunshine. 

His personality greatly matched his appearance. Just like his fluffed black hair, surfer aesthetic and mild voice, he was extremely laid back and welcoming. His dark sun kissed skin greatly contrasted his bright white smile, a smile you were sure you never witnessed not appearing on his face. Mila constantly doted over it and his other attributes almost daily. She would gush over his biceps, his tribal tattoos, the way he taught her about his culture, the cool stories he told about growing up in Hawaii, his relentless optimism and relaxed approach to life. He contrasted Mila in a lot of ways, but he was just what she needed. 

“I’ve missed you kid. Mila doesn’t let me leave my apartment anymore.”

Giggling you shrugged, “You can always make a break for it, it’s not like she’d complain to find you here.”

He chuckled as he nodded, patting you on the back before he let you go. Just as he went to turn his expression suddenly turned into one of surprise as he looked into the living room. Obviously there was one detail you and Mila had forgotten to tell Tony about.

“Oh man, I didn’t even see you there. What’s up?”

Kylo looked him up and down, seeming hesitant to respond. By the expression on Kylo’s face you could tell he was evaluating Tony and everything about him. Likely skimming over his thoughts, just enough to decifer what his first impression was. If anything, it likely wouldn’t be ecstatic considering how different they were. 

“…Not much.”

Mila suddenly caught attention of their interaction, her brows raising for a moment as she walked up to Tony’s side again.

“Oh right, babe this is that new roommate I was telling you about. Kylo this is my boyfriend Tony, Tony this is our new roomie Kylo.”

Tony’s dark brows rose in surprise as he looked between both you, Mila and Kylo. From the look on his face you could tell this wasn’t what he was expecting. To his defense, Kylo did seem a bit random of a choice for a roommate. Not to mention he didn’t quite fit into the whole situation. Taking a few moments, almost obviously pointing with his finger in both directions, Tony stuttered. 

“Th-this is your new roommate? I mean call me ignorant but I was thinking they’d be more like…I don’t know, a girl.”

You nodded with a smile on your face, trying your hardest not to seem upset or amused at Tony’s reaction. Mila sweetly stroked his bicep as she watched him look Kylo up and down, now trying to get his own first impression. Though Tony was widely accepting and welcoming to almost everyone he encountered, he was obviously hesitant to the fact that his girlfriend was housing a man she didn’t know. Looking at Kylo made him even more hesitant. Unlike Tony, Kylo stood more like a skyscraper, his shoulders were at a broader stance, his eyes possessing far more intensity, his biceps just a bit larger than Tony’s. He was built like a brick house. A fairly intimidating brick house.

“Well he’s definitely not.”

Tony lightly scoffed, “Well no shit Mila I can see that.”

Mila rolled her eyes, “Babe, he saved (Y/N), and then proceeded to fill her in on his crash he had been in. How he was super far away from home with literally no family, no money or anything. So we took him in.”

“Well actually it was mostly me, but yeah you’ve taken him in too.”

Shooting you a glare Mila’s eyes narrowed at you. Of course you were right, but considering this was her apartment too, she wanted some credit. You simply grinned with a shrug. Looking him over again, Tony’s expression softened. Though Mila didn’t intentionally try to soften his impression, she knew Tony couldn’t remain cold towards someone with a back story like Kylo’s. Or at least the back story that she was told. 

“Dude…you’re really out here by yourself?”

Kylo quietly nodded, his expression remaining cautious and surprisingly shy.

“Wow, well glad to know you made it alright, and for saving (Y/N) of course.”

He nodded again as he gave Tony a little glance.

“Yeah.”

Looking back to you, Tony arched a brow. You could easily tell he still wasn’t sure what to think of Kylo. Almost everyone he interacted with was open, friendly, gave him a smile. He received no such greeting or response from Kylo. 

You silently mouthed ‘He’s shy’. If anything Tony could understand someone being apprehensive and shy. There wasn’t really a right way to explain Kylo’s true origins and his time with the Dark side. 

With a nod Tony smiled. If there was anyone you would want to meet Kylo before you or Mila truly took him out into the world, it was definitely Tony. He not only had Mila’s heart, he captured the affection of almost everyone he interacted with. He had friends far and wide. To say the least, your social life with Mila had never been more active once Tony came into your lives. He was just the person Kylo needed around aside from you.

On Kylo’s end however, he was still hesitant. He wasn’t fond of the way this man was so open to take you in his arms, Kylo was barely open to having his hand brush against others. Tony was also a kind of optimistic and laid back that Kylo couldn’t entirely understand. As much as Kylo appreciated the change in aura, he was also skeptical. How was someone so relaxed about life in general? His thoughts were mellow, non-judgemental and all the while jubilant. Even his hesitation towards having a man living with his girlfriend quickly dissipated into acceptance. Had Kylo been in that sort of situation, he would have likely lashed out physically and verbally at the man. 

Thinking back on his life back in that distant galaxy Kylo saw Tony as drawing many similarities to Rey. Even she had more hesitation and judgement than Tony did. The more Kylo picked up on his energy, and your thoughts about him, the more he grew slightly envious. He wanted to be so openly embraced and acknowledged. 

“I figured I could introduce you guys so you meet some more people, you know aside from (Y/N) and I. As great as we are, we’ll probably bore you after a while. Not to mention a…fellow guy would probably be good to have around.”

Nodding with a smile you turned to Kylo to gage his reaction. His expression and body language were still greatly hesitant and shy. Of course he wasn’t going to be open to everyone approaching him, no matter how welcoming, but you were hoping for him to at least accept Tony. His brown eyes glanced over to you, as if seeking approval of the interaction. Just barely nodding you flashed him a smile. He glanced back over to Mila and Tony, with a nod.

“Yeah…that’d be nice..”

Though his delivery was still quiet, hesitant and a bit cold, you could tell he was at least attempting to accept the gesture. 

“Yeah man, whenever you get bored of just hanging around you can always hit me up.”

Kylo nodded hesitantly, the openness Tony possessed still confusing Kylo greatly. 

“You could start coming over for guys night too if you want. I get a few of my buddies together and we just hangout. Sometimes go out to the bars, maybe play some poker, whatever we feel like doing that night.”

Though you could practically feel how dismissive and indifferent Kylo was about accepting, you were eagerly hoping he would see the good intentions. Of course you were fond of him and wanted to spend time with him, but he couldn’t possibly get through life here if he only had you. He had to gain a circle of at least acquaintances at some point. Not to mention you and Kylo could only share so many similarities before he wanted to seek out friends of various backgrounds, genders, occupations, etc. 

Kylo nodded, clearing his throat.

“Yeah…maybe sometime.”

Tony smiled at him, confusing Kylo even more. Aside from you, nobody had ever reacted to him in a such a friendly manner. Not even in his younger years was he approached by someone so accepting and non-judgemental. 

Clapping your hands together you gestured to the table.

“Ok, lets eat!”

* * *

Later that evening, after your filling dinner and intent listening to one of Tony’s stories about his surfing ventures, you started to turn in. Mila and Tony were cuddled up in Mila’s room, already fast asleep under the covers as you shut off the last of the lights in the living room. Walking back towards your room you smiled as you watched Kylo adjust himself comfortably on the couch. Fluffing pillows and pulling at blankets. You quirked a brow as you watched him do this.

“Comfortable?”

Looking up to see you standing there, Kylo nodded. You smiled in response.

“Perfect. Well, I’m turning in. Sleep tight.”

Just as you were about to walk into your own room you suddenly heard Kylo’s voice behind you. 

“(Y/N).”

You paused, turning yourself towards the couch again to see Kylo laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. 

“Yeah Kylo?”

“…Do you want me to leave?”

Furrowing your brows you turned yourself fully towards Kylo. 

“What?”

You couldn’t see it, but he swallowed, his expression growing a little more glum.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No…what makes you think I would want you to?”

“Tony.”

His tone sounded harsher all of a sudden. Despite reading your intentions like an open book, he worried that you were still hiding alterior motives from him. Introducing him to someone who was as openly accepting and friendly as Tony made Kylo nervous. Nervous that his days with you were numbered. Nervous that you wanted him to go live with other men rather than you and Mila because of the taboo on your planet. In his mind Tony was like a physical eviction notice. Everything about him sounded too good to be true and a way of trying to persuade him to leave you.

Shaking your head, softening the expression on your face. How had bringing Tony given him such an impression? You weren’t trying to introduce him to new roommates, you merely wanted him to have other friends. Crossing your arms under your chest you leaned against your doorframe.

“Tony was not here as a way to tell you to leave. I just worry about you never meeting other people. …You can’t really live a full life here on Earth if you only hangout with me and stay in the apartment.”

Turning onto his side so he could face you, Kylo kept quiet as he watched you intently.

“Yes I could.”

You shook your head, “Kylo…as much as I would love for you to be safe in the apartment and just watch movies all day and only hangout with me, it’s not realistic. It’s not fair to you either.”

His brows knitted, “Fair?”

You sighed, “Yes. It’s selfish and quite honestly a hindrance if we keep you cooped up here with only me. You’re a man, not a domestic pet. You…you need to have a chance of surviving here…”

Before you finished your thought, you bit your tongue. You wanted to express to Kylo that you may not always be in his life, but in the same instance you dreaded ever having to tell him that. He was obviously sensitive underneath it all, a tad clingy in his own non-physical manner and fond of you and your friendly treatment of him. If anything, you would wait until he was on his own two feet, with a job, an apartment of his own, and his own life before saying anything along those lines. The last thing you wanted to tell him in this moment was that your care taking was essentially just preparing him for the days he would finally be ready to leave you.

Kylo noticed your mind had grown glum, as if a cloud was hovering over it. He wouldn’t invade your thoughts, out of respect, but he so badly wanted to. Any negative reaction he received from you made him nervous. It was a miracle, to say the least, that you had even taken him in, let alone treated him the way you did. He feared that his years of being shrouded in the dark would cloud his judgement one day. Feared that he would unintentionally ruin any chance of you helping him, possibly ruin your newly budding friendship, and worst of all that he would possibly hurt you. 

“…So I’m allowed to stay?”

Softly giggling you nodded to him.

“Of course you are.”

You nudged your head towards Mila’s door with a smirk.

“Do you really take me for a cold bitch like Mila just cause we’re best friends?”

His expression turned serious as you giggled again. Obviously he was still adjusting to your sense of humor. Every joke was either a hit or a miss. You shook your head with a giggle.

“I’m kidding Kylo, I don’t…usually think that about her. Maybe we need to cover types of humor one day too.”

He nodded.

"So Tony is not a roommate you’d rather I have?”

You shook your head, “No, just a friend I hope you have. He’s probably one of the best to have too. You don’t have to make 20 friends with him or anything. I just wanted to make sure you had more options than just Mila and I. Like I said, you’re a man, not a pet. You’re allowed to leave the house, you know when you’re ready to. Have as many friends as you want to. It’s your life.”

He nodded again, seeming satisfied with your answer. Turning back to his other side, he curled himself into his blankets once again, releasing a grumble of content from his chest as his eyes fluttered shut. Standing up straight from your leaning positing you smiled as you turned off the last light in the living room.

“Night Kylo.”

“Goodnight (Y/N).”

Staring at him back for a moment you sighed, resting your hand against the doorframe. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kylo realizing this new person you have brought into his life is not a way of asking him to leave, he becomes just slightly more comfortable with others around, so long as they are brought by you. Feeling a little confident in his time here, slowly getting his bearings, Kylo decides to venture out of the apartment for the first time by himself, trying to appease you.

Kylo stood in the kitchen, watching the toaster intently as he waited for his breakfast to arrive before him. With his hood pulled over his dark locks, his heavy eyes tried to remain unfaltered staring at the silver appliance. Despite how heavy they felt, he strained to keep them open. Rather than sleeping the past few nights, Kylo was restless. Ever since Tony had stopped by, Kylo couldn’t help but reflect on his status here on Earth.

The words you had said played in his head over and over again like a broken record. 

_You can’t really live a full life here on Earth if you only hangout with me and stay in the apartment._

_You need to have a chance of surviving here_

Considering how he had been spending his days lately, he was obviously not achieving that goal just yet. From the look you gave him, one you thought he was not aware of, he could sense the empathy and underlying pity. You didn’t think he was incapable or stupid, you just weren’t sure if he could truly make it out there without your help. It was an understatement to be saying that Earth was different from his home. Sending him out to fend for himself, especially considering his past with the Dark side, was surely the worst possible approach to adjusting him to his new home. 

Hearing the jingle of your keys behind him, Kylo turned to look over his shoulder as you collected your things. He had grown used to seeing this same thing almost every morning. You scrambling around the apartment to get what you needed and him watching over some form of breakfast food. Smiling at him as you noticed his presence you turned to face him.

“You need anything before I leave?”

He shook his head, “No I’m fine.”

“Ok, well I’ll make us some dinner when I get back tonight. You want me to pick up any other books for you from the library?”

Kylo shrugged with another shake of his head.

“I should probably get through that pile first.”

You nodded, throwing your bag over your shoulder.

“Fair enough. Alright, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

Hearing the apartment door lock, Kylo sighed turning back to the toaster as his bagel popped up. Carefully pulling it from the toaster he placed the slices onto a plate to slather on some cream cheese. Just staring at the bland pieces of bread in front of him, he felt himself growing bored. 

_You can’t really live a full life here on Earth if you only hangout with me and stay in the apartment._

As fascinating as your movie and book collection was for him, he was starting to understand what you meant by a full life. He was stuck in the same routine for almost two months now, mindlessly repeating tasks day after day. Had this been his life in the other galaxy, he would have likely felt unfulfilled. Of course the schedule he had here did not weigh so incredibly heavy on his heart and soul, but it surely made him feel sluggish. As if he were merely existing in a space.

He couldn’t help but wonder how you felt in this life, if you felt as sluggish as him or otherwise. From what he could tell, you seemed at least somewhat content with your life. Tired, but content. Your job, or jobs, kept you occupied, you had friends like Mila around you, you had family when those friends were nowhere to be found and you seemed to have just the right amount of time by yourself. It was a balance he didn’t understand.

You answered so many questions yet had told him nothing about yourself. In fact, he was sure you knew more about him than he knew about you. All he could account for in knowledge of who you were was your name, your best friend and that you had some sort of job involving food. To understand living here with a balance similar to yours, he likely had to ask you these many questions he heard you ask others. He may not have formulated them himself, but he surely could ask you them at some point.  

Sighing Kylo finished applying the cream cheese to his breakfast, ripping a piece off with his teeth as he chewed away. Throwing himself onto the couch, he released a huff as he took another bite. Silently he stared at the blank TV before him, contemplating if it was worth it. There were still many films he had yet to see and enjoy, as well as books to read through, but he wanted more. 

Despite being in this new galaxy he was still impatient, still incredibly restless and inquisitive. A man who was as active as him was not meant to be sitting around like he was now. With how little he had been out with you due to your work schedule, he was more than positive he had gained at least some weight. His legs were aching to be on the move again, to make those swift strides they once did down the halls of Starkiller and across battle fields. His arms were feeling feable with how little they had truly been utilized thus far. Even his force abilities had been held at bay, due to his uncertainty of what was appropriate to use.

Suddenly hearing sirens from a distance Kylo ceased his chewing as his eyes wandered away from the TV screen. They sounded closer than they had been in prior instances. Even in the times you accompanied him out of the apartment he had only heard the sirens, and never seen the vehicles you described carrying them. Lifting himself off of the couch he made his way over to the one window your living room was graced to have.

Peering out of the glass, Kylo saw a white vehicle zoom through the clearing of traffic, the red lights swirling almost as frantically as the driver was. Watching it disappear into the distance with the sirens fading out, Kylo sighed. Other than spending time with you when you returned from work, that vehicle had been the highlight of his days so far. 

Looking down at the bustle outside, Kylo intently watched as the passers-by hustled to and from the various buildings down the road. The way their eyes never left the pavement ahead of them and their strides never ceased to slow. Many of them seemed so confident in their footing that they didn’t even have to look where they were going, instead staring at the devices in their hands. To Kylo’s understanding, you had described them as small computers known as cell phones. 

The more people passed, the longer Kylo found himself staring. He wanted to be like these civilians. To stride straight out of your apartment with an air of confidence and intimidation like he had back home, going wherever he pleased without having to drag you along unwillingly. He wanted to reach the point where he lived his life just as you did, so rather than looking at him with pity, you would look at him with pride. 

Drawing his gaze straight again, he suddenly came across the sight of a corner store. Though it was small and rather dingey in appearance, it kept Kylo’s attention for a few moments. His eyes scanned the front windows, assessing what sat on the shelves of the store front. Judging from the looks of it, it appeared to be a smaller grocery store like the one you had taken him into before. Suddenly it hit him. 

This wasn’t a far reach for him to venture out to. He could in fact take his first steps to being like those citizens he saw outside, just by walking across the street to this store. It couldn’t be that difficult, you always went grocery shopping, hell even Mila did. 

Smirking, Kylo nodded to himself.

_Piece of cake._

* * *

Walking out of the door to your building, Kylo adjusted his sweatshirt before fidgeting with the pockets of his jeans. Inhaling deeply, Kylo took in the air around him. Granted it wasn’t the cleanest air that had ever passed through his nostrils, but it was fresh and it was surely different from the stagnant air of your home. 

Glancing across the street, Kylo sighed as he took a few steps forward across the pavement. The shop stood straight in front of your apartment building, with only one road in the way. It was more than an easy venture for Kylo to take by himself and minimal knowledge of your planet. 

Taking his first step onto that road Kylo smirked faintly to himself, only to have it instantly washed away by the sudden jolt he felt. A vehicle, what you had described as a car, was facing Kylo honking their horn at him. Their wheels had screeched against the pavement as they tried to avoid crashing into his broad frame.

Rather than making any gestures to recognize he had made a mistake and almost got hit by a car, Kylo quickly ran across to the other set of pavement where the store stood. Looking back to the road as the car sped off, Kylo’s brows furrowed. If they hadn’t hit him, what was the big concern? It’s not as though there was anything important going on. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered you warning him about cars, but he had yet to consider such advice. Even in his vulnerable state, he knew he was stronger than the majority of people he would interact with here and likely more intelligent. When it came to advice for his physical being, he saw no reason to follow it as he deemed himself perfectly capable. He knew what he needed to do and what was best for him. Or so he assumed. 

Walking into the shop with the sound of some odd mechanical chime, Kylo’s eyes began to wander. The shop was in fact exactly like a small grocery store, shelves lined to the brim with foods of all kinds and ‘fridges’, as you called them, stocked with various drinks of all colors and sizes. He wondered why you didn’t just do your shopping here, especially considering the convienence. 

To his relief, the man behind the counter paid him no attention, and instead remained glued to a newspaper with a cigarette hanging off of his lower lip. Considering Kylo’s lack of interaction with anyone in this galaxy aside from you, Mila and Tony, he was not even slightly eager to engage others in conversation. To an extent, he hoped he wouldn’t have to for a good long while. It’s not as though he really needed to engage many others.

Browsing the small aisles Kylo intently looked over each of the items, trying to determine what he was going to get or do on this first venture out. The sweets sounded tempting to him, but he would always prefer the sweets you brought from your work. He could tell they were fresh, handmade. To his fortune, they were usually still warm too. The other items for sale also sounded quite bizarre to him. Bubble gum, jerky, Pop Rocks, Kinder with some sort of face on them, Funyuns. All of it was entirely foreign and not even slightly ringing a bell for him. At least with you, he had a point of reference, someone to bounce questions off of. The obnoxious amount of bright packaging with labels screaming at him gave no help to his decision. 

Looking into one of the fridges in front of him, Kylo’s eyes scanned the entirety of it from top to bottom. They seemed to be sorted in some type of particular order, but of course none of that helped Kylo. None of the organized compartments were labeled. His eyes then landed on a particular package, furrowing his brows. Right before him was some form of black can with green writing on it. 

_Monster_

He read to himself in his head.

_Why would you name a beverage that? What’s in it?_

As he stared at it curiously, he wondered if you drank that yourself. There were only a few products he recognized instantly from the stash within your own apartment. Knowing this was his first venture on his own however, he wanted something different. With how busy you were, you didn’t have much time to take him to as many restaurants as you wanted to, to as many shops or sites he had yet to see. With this new venture he wanted to not only prove his capability to go out by himself, but make some new discoveries of his own.

From what he had read about your planet, a man of age was typically much further along in life than he was. He was unemployed, he had no ‘hobbies’, he had no schooling similar to your planets, he didn’t have an apartment of his own, no relationship, no friends aside from you and couldn’t even leave the apartment without you. Even with his special circumstances, just internalizing the reality of his status here infuriated him. He knew he was better than that.

Seeing a familiar orange bag of Cheetos, Kylo’s brows raised in satisfaction as he grabbed them from the shelf. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity he went back to the fridge and grabbed the mysterious Monster drink for himself. 

Smirking with satisfaction, Kylo walked back down the aisle making his way for the door. Just as he made it to the front of the store, the man who was previously silent from his occupation with the paper, arched a brow at Kylo.

“You gonna pay for those?”

Kylo suddenly froze, his lips faintly parting. Credits. He didn’t have any credits, especially ones used on your planet. 

“I uh, I don’t have any credits.”

The man gave Kylo a strange expression, obviously confused by his use of the word ‘credits’. Flicking off the end of his cigarette the man shook his head.

“Then leave those here until you can.”

“What?”

The man tapped the counter, growing impatient with Kylo already, despite such a brief interaction.

“Leave them  _here_ , until you can pay for them. Got it?”

Flaring his nostrils as he pushed his lips firmly together into a line, Kylo’s eyes grew narrow. Deciding to ignore the man instead of doing what he truly what he desired to do, Kylo threw the can and Cheetos to the ground, instantly marching back out of the store with a now angered expression. The man yelled out after him with the contrasting little chime accompanying.

“Hey!! That’s good merchandise!!”

Not paying attention, Kylo strode back into the street again, only to have another close call with an SUV. As the wheels came screeching to a halt and the driver pounded on their horn, Kylo glared at them, opting to keep walking after the jump in his step. He knew he couldn’t react the way he usually would. Not unless he, as you put it, “wanted to be on the front page”. 

Running back up the stairs of your apartment building, Kylo made quick work of his limbs. Despite not having credits, he could at least return to your home and cool off before venturing out once again. Perhaps if he was lucky enough he would even find some credits.

Finally reaching your level, Kylo released a deep breath as he dropped his shoulders from their tense state. With a roll of his neck he made his way towards your door. As he reached up to turn the knob, he leaned his body weight against the wooden door. That seemed to be how you easily let the slab of wood open. Even with his broad shoulder pushing into the door however, he was met with no budge. Not even a click, but rather a creak of the wood. 

Furrowing his brows he looked over the door, assessing it. Perhaps he had turned the knob the wrong way or forgotten a button. Turning it once again, pressing his weight into the door, he was still met with no success. His stress instantly started rising within him as he looked over the door once more. Wiggling the knob again, he tried ramming his body into the door multiple times, hoping the impact of his weight would push it open. It was just wood after all. Still nothing.

He huffed, slouching as his nostrils flared.

“Kriff.”

* * *

Climbing back up the stairs towards your apartment you hummed happily to yourself, looking forward to finally sitting on your couch. After being on your feet for hours in the catering kitchen, the soles of your feet were practically dreaming of their own sweet relief that would come once you walked through that door. 

Shuffling through your purse to fish out your keys you continued humming as the steps up to your door slowed. Finally grabbing a hold of them, you looked up to your door only to pause with furrowed brows. 

“Kylo? What are you doing out here?”

Sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, hunched over and resting his forearms over his knees was Kylo with a somewhat solemn and frustrated expression on his face. Turning to you, you could see the instant change in his dark eyes. He seemed particularly grateful to see you. 

“…Nothing.”

You arched a brow at him, crossing your arms. He obviously didn’t sound happy, let alone indifferent. To a degree, he almost sounded embarrassed. Avoiding your gaze, Kylo mumbled, knowing you wanted him to elaborate on his current situation.

“I might have locked myself out.”

You chuckled, “Might have huh? How long have you been out here?”

Kylo continued avoiding your gaze, scratching the back of his neck.

“…A few hours.”

Your mouth fell agape as your brows raised. 

“Hours?! How many?”

Kylo shrugged, mumbling once again as the tone of embarrassment became even more apparent. 

“…About five. I ran up the stairs a couple dozen times.”

Walking up to him, with a look of pity in your eyes, you shook your head.

“Oh gaud, you should have- oh shit the phone’s in there. ….I’m sorry.” 

Kylo shrugged, the expression on his face still greatly displaying his embarrassment with soft eyes, faintly pouted lips and his subtle frown. You knew he hated this. He hated any form of failure even if it was a common mistake.

“It’s not your fault.”

Slowly standing up, Kylo’s joints popped and cracked as he towered over you once again, releasing a hum with his stretch. Unlocking the door, you kept the door open for Kylo paying close attention to his expression. From what you could tell he wasn’t hurt, nor did he look as though he had witnessed anything traumatizing. 

Still avoiding your eyes, Kylo slid onto the couch, instantly slouching into it as if the confidence had simply slid out of him for the moment. Tilting your head as you set your things down, you spoke.

“So, what exactly happened that you got locked out?”

There was a moment of pause, a moment you were sure Kylo was debating whether or not he should tell you truly what had happened. For someone with a past and record as infamous as his, the mere series of events today made him feel ashamed, weaker than ever. He was supposed to be smarter than this. Far more capable of avoiding such little hiccups. 

“I went to the corner store…didn’t remember anything about leaving the apartment and just went.”

You arched a brow, crossing your arms under your chest.

“Why did you go there?”

“…I was incredibly bored and remembering all of the things you had said about surviving here…living a full life. …So I tried to go out alone for once.”

Sighing you shook your head, your expression turning into one of endearment as you watched Kylo twiddle his thumbs as he stared at the carpet beneath his feet. He truly was impatient, even towards himself. 

“Kylo, I didn’t mean by the end of the week you needed to do those things. You need time. You need to figure it all out before you go out there. I’m sorry I don’t have more time to bring you with me, you know help you with these sort of things as I work.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy.”

Walking over to the living area, you shook your head.

“And I know you’re in serious need of a guide. It’s not fair to keep you here all the time, as I’ve said before.”

Finally reaching the side of the couch, Kylo looked up at you, eyes hesitant.

“We’ll find a middle ground soon and keep me employed but get you ready to take Earth on…ok?”

Kylo gave you a short nod, “Ok.”

You smiled, giving him a short nod.

“Great. Just kick back and relax for a little while, Mila and Tony will be over in about an hour.”

Kylo nodded as he turned his gaze towards that one window once again. Despite his embarrassment, he was at least determined to make up for the day he had had. He would eventually impress you.

* * *

All seated at the table, finished with dinner you sat with Tony, Mila and Kylo listening to Mila rant about some customer that had set her off today. While Tony nodded and listened to an extent, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, you chuckled knowing this was typical Mila. Kylo listened intently, as if knowing exactly what she meant in all of her sentiment towards this man with a deep understanding. 

Though there was quite a bit still to be learned about Kylo and where he came from, you couldn’t help but picture him as the type to indulge Mila’s pessimistic and sarcastic side. Even with the few things he said, you could tell by the tone in his voice that there was a deadpan sense of humor in there somewhere.

Clearing his throat, Tony suddenly looked around the table with a smile.

“Well, before I head out I wanted to let you guys in on some plans for tomorrow night.”

You smiled in his direction as Kylo simply glanced over barely.

“What plans?”

Mila smirked, rubbing Tony’s arm.

“Tony’s cousin is throwing a party and it’s supposed to be AWE-some.”

Tony nodded, obviously subtly proud of this cousin of his.

“He’s relocating for his job so he’s throwing one last kickback party before he has to go. I was talking about being over here the other day and he said you’re all welcome to come.”

You smiled, looking from Tony over to Kylo. His expression didn’t say much but you could instantly guess that he was hesitant after his incident the past afternoon of getting locked out. Being as old as he was and as physically capable as himself, he truly was embarrassed that he had ended up pathetically sitting in the hall waiting for you, because even the force couldn’t open that door unless he shattered it. The only foreseeable solution being violent didn’t make him feel any better either. 

Kylo sat quietly, gaging everyone else’s feelings over the idea before making any sort of response. He could hear your thoughts, worrying about how he felt, it was easily visible on your face as well. Though he was hesitant to accept any invitation to go to a party, not aware of how they worked on your planet, he was beginning to see all the opportunities this could give him to prove himself. This was a chance being served to him on a silver platter. 

“Should be a good one, he said Tony’s family party wasn’t the bang he wanted to go out with.”

Smirking to yourself, you were already imagining this party vividly in your imagination. It had been months since you had been to one where you could truly let loose with your workload, this weekend however was not nearly as crammed as the ones prior had been. You could practically feel the speakers pounding the music in your chest already. 

“I want to go.”

Kylo’s deep voice came so suddenly you almost thought you had imagined it. Turning to face him, you saw him looking between all of you, judging your reactions. Tony’s, of course, was positive as a giant bright white grin spread across his face. 

“Yeah! Everyone will love meeting you man.”

You smiled at Kylo as well, nodding in agreement with Tony.

“It’s a really good opportunity to get out.”

Kylo nodded, seeming more confident in his decision now that he had received your approval as well as Tony’s enthusiasm. Your wording was obviously geared towards him, and with how you lived here on Earth, he wasn’t going to question your methods.

“Great…can’t wait.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo attends his first party on Earth with reader and Mila. Though some of it appears familiar, he soon finds some things that are not so similar.

Kylo stared at the pile of clothes before him, his expression entirely blank. It had been years since he had felt a need to consider what he was wearing, considering his robes back home were appropriate for almost every occasion. To hear you tell him that he should try for something casual other than his sweats, he wasn’t even sure what to make of that. From what Tony had said, Kylo was sure this was an occasion meant for more formal attire, someone was leaving abroad and was seeing his friends for the last time in a considerable amount of time. Shouldn’t he be dressed to look as though he cared that this man was leaving?

He sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he continued staring at the pile of black and grey clothes. Opening the door to your room, you walked in to see Kylo standing there, staring at the floor. Arching a brow you watched him for a moment, aware that he likely already sensed you were in the room. 

“What’s up?”

Kylo shrugged, dropping his arm to his side.

“I have no idea what I’m expected to wear to this occasion.”

Walking up beside him, you looked down at his collective pile of clothes, slightly amused by his complete disregard of the rack you had provided him to hang them up on. Placing your hands on your hips you sighed as your eyes scanned the dark pile before you.

“Well, it’s going to be pretty casual…how about those black jeans? We can start there.”

Kylo nodded as he reached down and threw the jeans over the top of rack as the black denim hang limp. Curling your lips to the side, you continued to stare at the pile of his clothes, trying to remember what he even owned as of this point in time. In addition to the clothes you had given him, you managed to snag a few hand me downs from Tony. Finally seeing one shirt your brows raised in appeasement.

“Here, what about this shirt?”

Holding up a grey t-shirt for him you smiled, attempting to get him excited about the occasion. Though he was eager to announce he wanted to be present, he seemed to still be hesitant. As much as you wanted to socialize him, you understood, he was nervous about interacting with others. 

Kylo’s eyes scanned the article of clothing from top to bottom, assessing if he really liked it. After a moment of simply observing it as well as looking back to the jeans hanging over the rack he nodded in approval.

“Ok.”

You nodded, carefully hanging it over the rack with his jeans. Turning back to him with a smile, you raised your brows.

“You excited for tonight?”

In all honesty, Kylo couldn’t be more ecstatic that you and the entire population here weren’t force sensitive, seeing as he was going to be lying through his teeth for a good while. Deep down, beneath his thin facade of ego, he was anxious as well as deeply regretting his open acceptance of the idea. He wanted to get his barrings, prove to you he was able to be taken out more with or without you, but he couldn’t help but hate the idea that he was going to a party to start proving that point. 

Obviously parties on your planet were going to be different from what he was used to in his galaxy. He hadn’t been fond of them before and he was almost certain that would remain about the same. 

He shrugged, avoiding your gaze so you couldn’t see the hesitation in his eyes.

“Yeah I guess.”

“Well I promise you it’ll be good, Tony and his family definitely know how to party.”

From what Kylo could sense from you, you were ecstatic for this event. For whatever reason you were so looking forward to getting to that house and as you put it, ‘letting loose’. You hadn’t clarified what that meant, but Kylo wasn’t sure what to make of it. He knew you were excited, yet he was sure that from the aura you gave off, the evenings you were sitting at home relaxing were what ‘let loose’ was supposed to mean. You were thoroughly relaxed and generally content, what release were you going to find at a party crammed full of people? 

“You’re looking forward to this?”

You nodded, eagerly smiling as you faced Kylo once again.

“I am! I can’t remember the last time I went to a good party. Mila and I used to go to them all the time, especially when she started dating Tony.”

Kylo nodded, “Oh.”

With a little hop in your step you walked towards your closet and grabbed your outfit on the hanger.

“I’m going to go get ready, feel free to just get dressed and wait it out.”

Kylo nodded once again as you hopped even more in your step as you walked out of the room with your outfit and makeup bag.

“We’re going to ppaarrrttyyy!”

Kylo faintly grinned as he shook his head, turning his attention back to his own outfit. 

* * *

Pulling up to the house, you and Mila eagerly looked out your windows to the hoard of people filing in from the lawn into the two level home. Though the music wasn’t overwhelming, you could hear it from the car thumping as you saw people’s silhouettes moving inside. To your right, Kylo was only growing more stiff as he saw the sheer number of people filing into a house that did not appear to be that large from the outside. If this place looked anything like your house, the place was going to be packed full of people in every crevise. It was as if a market place crowd was trying to fit into someone’s home. Just as the thought crossed Kylo’s mind a small hint of anxiety began to peak.

“Ready?”

Kylo suddenly turned to see you beside him, grinning with excitement. Trying to hide his now growing nerves he nodded as you continued smiling and quickly opened your door. You could already feel yourself ready to get in there, your feet were craving to dance and your hand was aching to at least have a cup in your hand. Not to mention it was the first time in days you had actually been able to wear a full outfit that wasn’t your work uniform. You not only felt good, you looked like it too.

Hesitantly, sliding out of the car with a somewhat awkward shuffle, Kylo followed behind you. Seeing him out of the car and scanning the area with his eyes, you gave him a nod with your brows raised. Gesturing to him, you assured he followed you into the home. The last thing you needed was him standing outside on his own. Though you didn’t look behind you, assured Kylo could certainly make his own way through this crowd, you missed the look Kylo had overtake his face as you walked inside. To say the least he was a deer in the headlights. 

Just as he had assumed outside, the house was packed with masses of people, the lack of personal space obvious to him from where he was standing. The music was loud to the point of not being able to hear much else, the air was heavy with smoke of various strains, the movement of people scattered all around the room, the volume of thoughts and energies he was picking up hitting him like one giant tidal wave. 

From the staircase to the second level, a man with strikingly similar features to Tony held his arms out and cheered. 

“TOONNYYY!”

Tony threw his arms up as well, Kylo taking note that somehow he had ended up with a red cup in his hand despite going to no sort of kitchen or table.

“HEEYY!!”

Pushing past people down the staircase, the man, just about the same height as Tony, his arms littered with far more tattoos with biceps almost up to parr with Kylo’s. With a shining white smile he walked up to your group taking Tony under his arm.

“How’s my favorite little cus?”

Tony shrugged, “Doin’ alright.”

The man nodded, patting Tony on the back.

“Right on.”

Tony then raised his brows, realizing he had forgotten introductions.

“Hey Kylo, this is my cousin Jeremy, Jeremy this is Mila and (Y/N)’s new roomie Kylo.”

Jeremy’s brows furrowed for a moment as he looked at Kylo, obviously shocked that this was your roommate. It seemed to be an expected reaction at this point.

“Really? You’re shacking up with Mila and (Y/N)?”

Kylo hesitantly gave a short nod in response to which Jeremy took Kylo’s hand in a firm shake. From the way Kylo just barely flinched, you could tell he wasn’t pleased with the sudden contact. 

“Alright! Well welcome, mi casa su casa!”

At that he released Kylo’s hand and turned to Mila. Kylo nudged you, leaning down to you.

“What did any of those words mean?”

You giggled, “It means my house is your house in Spanish.”

Kylo’s lips formed an ‘o’ as he nodded, as if now understanding the interaction entirely. He wasn’t fond of the handshake, but at least he was welcomed in a friendly manner. Meanwhile Jeremy took Mila’s hand and placed a chaste kiss to it as Mila rolled her eyes with a giggle.

“And how’s the lady?”

She shrugged, “Peachy, did you get my favorite drinks?”

Jeremy laughed as he nodded, gliding his arm out for Mila. Tony grinned from ear to ear as he watched the two.

“Why of course, this way.”

With a curt nod Jeremy and Mila linked arms as they walked off towards the kitchen with Tony following behind. Turning to Kylo you nudged him, catching his wandering gaze.

“What do you want to do?”

“Whatever you’re doing.”

You smiled, you’d be lying if you said that wasn’t the answer you were hoping for. With an idea in your mind, you gestured for Kylo to follow you, deciding to test the waters. Making your way through the denser crowd of people, closer to the thumping music Kylo followed closely behind you, his eyes still scanning the entirety of the crowd. Pushing your way into the living room, Kylo took note that these people were all moving much more than the people you had pushed past. Their bodies collectively were writhing and swaying to the rhythm of the music flowing through the house. You turned to look at Kylo with an eager smile, just barely moving your hips.

“You wanna dance?”

Kylo just watched you, seeming rather cautious to respond. Though he enjoyed seeing how happy you were, wishing he felt the same, he couldn’t get past the volume of people around him. In comparisson to the majority of the people surrounding him, he was giant. He was far more muscular and towered over almost all of them. To say the least, he stuck out like a sore thumb. In addition to that fact, he was also not a fan of dancing. 

Just as he was about to respond to you, a girl from the crowd spun her way in front of him, seductively looking him in the eyes as she placed her hand on his chest. Kylo looked down to her, instantly furrowing his brows. The look alone had you smirking in amusement. You could tell Kylo was already bothered by her presence. 

“Hey.”

Chuckling to yourself, you watched as the girl started trying to dance with him, slowly moving her hand down his torso. He tried to move away from her hold, trying to stop her hand but she persisted. The hunger in her eyes making Kylo not only agitated but confused.

“I don’t-”

“Oh come on, you look like you could loosen up a little.”

Kylo flared his nostrils. He would have given anything to just shove her aside. Knowing how Earth etiquette was thus far however, he knew he likely shouldn’t. He would have to bare through this a little longer. 

“No I’m fine.”

Noticing how uncomfortable he was appearing, you started to suddenly second guess your amusement at the sight. The girl continued trying to get him to move, pulling herself closer to his body with the same lust filled look in her eyes. Tensing entirely, Kylo craned his head back from her gaze. 

“I promise I don’t bite.”

The mere words made Kylo want to cringe. If he was not indulging her flirtatious behavior why was she so persistent? Kylo suddenly saw you in front of him again, and in a moments notice he saw his escape. Raising his voice, his tone grew cold once again as he gently pushed her off of him, earning a faint gasp from her. Though it wasn’t at the full strength he would’ve liked to do it, it was enough to get her off of him.

“I’m dancing with her.”

Immediately making a B-line towards you, Kylo leaned over to whisper to you as you giggled.

“I hate dancing, can we do something else?”

You nodded, pulling him behind you. After pushing through a good cluster of people you finally reached what appeared to be the family room. Turning to face Kylo you arched a brow at him with a smirk.

“So you didn’t want to dance with her? She was cute.”

His expression was entirely deadpan, as if both disgusted and enraged.

“She was obnoxious.”

You nodded, “Yeah I kinda got that impression.”

His brows furrowed, “What, you find that amusing?”

You shrugged, opting to ignore his rather harsh tone and the impendingly humorous comments you could think of.

“What do you want to do?”

He shrugged, obviously not aware of what there was to do here. There were only so many similarities your worlds shared and even fewer celebrations that he had attended. Suddenly getting an idea you lightly hit his arm, getting his attention.

“Oh! Better yet, back home what did you do for fun?”

The question immediately caught Kylo off guard, causing his expression to shift. Becoming perplexed, he looked off to the room behind you, attempting to recollect any such memory. Obviously the last 8 years of his life drew an absolute blank. The First Order was the last place he would ever define as ‘fun’. The only memories that did come to his mind, when he was even aware of what fun felt like, were the years as a child. None of those memories however were anything that would take place at a gatheirng like this.

Stopping himself from delving any further and onsetting another emotional reaction he shook his head, maintaining the same cold tone.

“Nothing.”

Your expression fell, as your lips faintly parted. Was he serious? Sure he seemed a bit stiff and brooding, but you wouldn’t assume him to be someone who never had fun. Then again, you didn’t know all of his back story.

“Oh.”

Watching your expression fall, Kylo only felt guilt wash over him. All that excitement you had had in the car ride over and all throughout the morning while you were getting ready, all disappeared the moment he started participating in this party with you. 

“…I’m ruining it aren’t I?”

You instantly shook your head.

“No, no! I just want to find something fun for you to do, you can’t just sit around here.”

He shrugged, looking behind you once again. He could always fake that he was doing something, give you the illusion of him enjoying himself so you could enjoy this party yourself. 

“I could just look around, I’m plenty capable.”

Smiling you nodded, “Ok, are you sure?”

He nodded, “You go dance and I’ll see what your parties here are about.”

You nodded once again, giving him a thumbs up.

“Sounds good, come find me if you get bored ok?”

He nodded as you waved to him.

“Have a good time!”

Watching him wave back faintly, you couldn’t help but mentally laugh to yourself. It was as if he was your child you were sending off to school for the first time. Cautious, unsure but determined, and you enthusiastic and proud though you still worried. Shaking your head at the thought, you turned back to the dancefloor and finally let your hair down. 

* * *

As Kylo made his way through the crowd ten minutes later, trying to only carefully push people out of his way, he allowed his eyes to scan the entirety of what was going on around him. No matter where he turned, something was happening whether people were throwing back their drinks, dancing, smoking or talking, the place was filled with its own type of life. 

Kylo hadn’t seen this type of activity in a while. The last time he remembered seeing anything like this, it was in a cantina. Although his interactions with them in the last few years were just passing through or destroying them, he always caught a glimpse of the inside. Remembering back to days when he was trudged along through them, too young to be among the crowd. 

Just as Kylo was about to walk into the kitchen, he suddenly heard a voice to his left.

“Heyyy man!”

Kylo turned to the man to his left, a blonde with a strange sort of spiked hair and odd looking green eyes. To Kylo’s relief, the man’s aura seemed relaxed and at least mildly friendly. Kylo offered him a short nod, about to walk off, as the man pointed to a plate in his hand.

“You want some?”

Looking down, Kylo saw the plate filled and stacked with cookies. Much like the ones you had brought him a few nights prior, these ones had little chips of what you called chocolate in them. If anyone was going to offer him something at this party, he would surely prefer food over a dance. Feeling more inclined to engage this man suddenly at the sight of the sweet treats, Kylo nodded.

“Sure.”

The man smirked as he held the plate out for Kylo.

“It’s good shit.”

Kylo nodded, reaching forward he took 4 of the cookies, remembering that the ones he had from you before were not filling enough. Taking a bite Kylo gave the man another nod as he began to walk off. The more he chewed however, the more he realized that something about these tasted different, a sort of bitter flavor that was not the same as the ones you had made.

_(Y/N)’s are far superior to this trash._

He thought to himself, yet he continued to eat the rest of the cookies, realizing how hungry he was. Deciding to overlook the odd flavor, Kylo continued to eat away at these new cookies as he made his way into the kitchen. 

* * *

From that point, an hour passed. You had yet to see Kylo again, hopeful that he was caught up in a conversation with someone or letting his curiosity find satisfaction somewhere in the bustle of it all. Maybe he had opted to cling to Tony’s side instead. Or Mila’s, the thought made you chuckle. Sitting chatting with a group of Tony’s friends, you suddenly heard Mila calling out to you.

“(Y/N)!!”

You turned, expecting to see her wasted and trying to entice you into something. It was almost tradition every time you went out together. Rolling your eyes, when your gaze met hers you were hit with an entirely different expression. From the way her eyes were softer than usual, filled with concern, your smile fell.

“It’s Kylo!”

At that your gut plummeted. He had seemed so confident in walking off on his own, and only an hour later it seemed that had gone to crap. You had had hope that in his venture to get himself a drink he had ended up chatting up others. The scenarios of what you were being brought to only made you anxious. Considering Kylo’s obvious impatience and discomfort in socializing with others, you could only imagine what he had gotten into or caused. Immediately dropping your cup you walked up to Mila, following behind her closely as you pushed through the crowd of people. 

Pulling you towards a hallway, Mila pushed her way through the sea of people. Faces and voices seemed to blur by as she hurried through, almost making you dizzy. Finally she reached a hallway, aggressively shoving one man out of the way with a snarl as she approached the bathroom door.

“Move!”

As he gave her a distasteful look the man shuffled to the side, Mila opened the bathroom door allowing you in before her. Sitting in the corner of the bathroom was Kylo, entirely curled into himself shaking like a leaf. The look on his face was notably fearful and overwhelmed. 

Dropping to your knees before him, you spoke softly.

“Kylo, it’s (Y/N). Kylo?”

Slowly he turned his eyes towards you, his pupils were blown wide and yet his eyes were striken with absolute fear.  

“The voices…I can’t make them stop.”

You furrowed your brows, unsure of what he was saying. 

“Some dip shit out there gave him edibles with like 10 times the regular serving of THC without telling him what they were.”

The fear in his eyes made more sense now, your lips parted open as you shook your head faintly. His paranoia had flown through the roof.

“Oh shit, oh shit. Mila he’s never done drugs before.”

Resting yourself on the small patch of carpet Kylo was sitting on, you scooted closer. 

“Kylo, it’s going to be ok, ok?”

He didn’t respond, instead he looked at the wall behind you, still furiously shaking in fright. The look in his eyes was surprisingly different from the intensity they usually held, as if he was watching something behind you slowly approaching him. He was in the worst shape you had seen him since he first arrived, and even then, he held himself together considerably well. 

“Mila, how many did he have?”

Mila scoffed, “I don’t know but once I told Tony he had the guy kicked out and took one to pick apart, see if there was anything else in it.”

Your eyes grew even more concerned in appearance as you looked at Kylo. Knowing the universe he was from and the few details about his past that you did, you highly doubted he had ever experienced such a phenomenon before. A man that was usually in command and demanded fear, was now in utter shock and crippling paranoia himself, unable to control what was going on inside of him. The lack of control was notably sending his anxiety through the roof, not sure of what to do next or what to do at all. 

“Kylo how many did you eat?”

He furrowed his brows, his eyelids falling for a moment only to shoot open once again. 

“What?”

“The cookies, how many did you eat?”

He gulped, holding up 5 of his fingers. You and Mila collectively gasped.

“Holy shit.”

“He’s incredibly lucky he didn’t have a worse experience or reaction.”

You shook your head, resenting the man as well as yourself for not advising Kylo about things like this. There really was only so much you could do, but this, this was entirely preventable.

“Kylo, how are you feeling?”

He didn’t answer still, pulling his knees even closer to himself as he winced his eyes shut. From the strain he was putting on his eyelids to shut, you were sure he was attempting to shut the light out from his sight entirely, likely overwhelming with how bright they suddenly were to him. From the way he was shaking, you couldn’t help but wonder what else was bothering him. Lights were obviously a hindrance to him, the feeling in his stomach was likely putting him at unease, the paranoia insiting his fear, the voices, then it hit you. 

_His force sensitivity._

Having your own eyes widen, you turned to Mila for a moment.

“Hey why don’t you go find Tony and I’ll stay here with Kylo? Knock when you get back.”

Mila nodded, “Sure thing. Hang in there Kylo, you’ll be fine.”

Kylo still didn’t respond as Mila made her way back out of the bathroom door, yet again shoving people out of the way before closing the door behind her. Locking it as she left, you carefully sat yourself back in front of Kylo again as his eyes continued to stay fixated on one particular part of the wall. 

“Kylo…the voices…is it everyone’s thoughts?”

Finally his eyes moved towards you, hesitating for a moment before he fully stared back at you. You gulped, unsure of what he was truly feeling now. Your worst fear being he would lash out at you, and considering just his physical appearance, you were more than bound to suffer if he did. 

“Your ability to hear thoughts in the force…it’s being tampered with by the drugs…isn’t it?”

His bottom lip quivered, his voice coming out like a whisper.

“I don’t know.”

“…You were fine with the force before you ate the cookies right?”

He considered your question for a moment before nodding slowly.

“They tampered with your abilities…made things louder…harder to control?”

Seeing his lip quiver even more, he nodded again. For the first time, Kylo appeared weak before you. Between his large body being curled up and trembling to the flaring fear and paranoia you saw in his eyes, you couldn’t help but feel your heart break at the sight. How had he lost all of that facade and intimidating stance in such a manner? 

“…He’s coming for me.”

Your brows raised, hesitant to indulge him in this considering his altered psyche.

“Who?”

His adams apple bobbed in his neck, his body trembling even more visibly now. The way his eyes could barely keep contact with you, but so desperately tried to stay open worried you. It was as if he was truly anticipating someone coming for him, afraid he would fall asleep only to have this apparent entity attack him unaware. 

“Kylo…”

Whoever he believed was after him, he appeared to fear even speaking their name. The way his lips hesitated to speak, pressing into each other once again as he forcibly tried to keep his eyes open. Pressing his shoulder further into the wall, Kylo released a heavy breath through his nostrils, still shaking. 

Deciding that only asking him the same question over and over would get nowhere, you started looking around the bathroom, wondering if there was anything that aide in lessening his paranoia. Mila had likely already given him water, there was no medication you could safely administer to him without possibly triggering something else, using the shower wouldn’t do him much good either. 

Seeing no ready solution, you turned back to Kylo with soft eyes.

“Kylo, do you want to go home?”

His eyes shot wide, furiously shaking his head.

“No, no please. Please don’t send me back.”

Hearing the fear in his voice you realized he had misunderstood you.

“No, Kylo, no I’m not sending you there. I mean my house, our house, do you want to go back to the house?”

His brows furrowed, the look in his eyes shifting while still maintaining that same flare of paranoia.

“How do I know? How do I know you aren’t going to send me to him?”

You paused, furrowing your brows as you saw Kylo began to shake again.

“You want me to leave.”

You shook your head again, “No Kylo I don’t.”

“You’re too nice…too accepting. …You know I’m a monster…you’re probably working with him. You’re just waiting for me to be this weak…”

You shook your head, feeling your heart ache just the slightest.

“Kylo, I swear on my life I have no idea what you’re talking about and I am not going to send you back there. I swear to you. I only want to help you.”

His lips pressed together again, still hesitating to indulge you or anything you were saying. You stood from your place on the carpet, carefully putting your hand before Kylo. Looking down at him with a warm expression you arched a brow.

“Do you trust me?”

The room fell silent, Kylo simply staring at you with no falter in his gaze. His adams apple bobbed once again, looking down to your hand. For a moment he stared at it, as if observing a new discovery. Releasing a deep breath, he quickly put his hand in yours, earning a smile from you. Using as much of your weight as you could, you helped pull him up to his feet as he stumbled for a moment. Holding him steady at your side, you looked him in the eyes.

“Are you ok to walk?”

He nodded, his eyes seeming to widen as he stood upright, his depth perception warping with his sudden movement. Sliding under his arm, you wrapped an arm around his back, assuring that he would at least be somewhat steady. You walked up to the bathroom door, unlocking it with an easy click and turning the knob. As it swung open you were met with Mila and Tony reaching for the knob.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

You shrugged, “I think it’s best he goes ho- back to the house. He’s probably going to get sick in a small matter of time too. Better he’s at the house then cooped up in here.”

They both nodded, Tony’s expression fell as he looked Kylo over.

“I’m sorry about all of this man, I had no idea someone brought those in here.”

Unsure of where he even was at this point, Kylo faintly moved his head enough to resemble a nod. You looked to Tony with a shrug.

“I’ll text you guys when I get back to the apartment.”

They both nodded, Mila gently patted your shoulder.

“Sorry (Y/N).”

You shrugged again before moving Kylo out of the doorframe.

Pulling Kylo close to your side, almost chuckling to yourself at the sight of this giant clinging close to you, you started shoving your way past people. At the sight of Kylo, most people cleared the way seeing just how out of it he appeared. 

To him however all he saw was a sea of judging eyes, expressions somewhat cringing as he made his way past them. Even on Earth, even in this state, he was inciting the same reaction. He closed his eyes, no longer wanting to see them before him, though their thoughts still filled his mind to capacity. 

Before he knew it, suddenly all the voices ceased in one instant. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that you had guided him outside, now walking down the sidewalk. Sloppily, his eyes tried to adjust to the streetlights, his perception of depth and distance still altered. 

“Hang in there Kylo, we’re going to get home just fine.”

* * *

Back at the apartment, after struggling to help Kylo walk properly for a few city blocks, you laid him in your bed, pulling him under the covers. For 2 hours, he continued to lay there, shaking as he continued to force his eyes open. Laying on your side on the sleeping bag you pulled from the couch he usually slept on, you watched him carefully. Though you had read up on things to help speed his high along, almost everything insisted he ride it out, leaving you to sit there and watch him struggle with whatever was raging in his brain. Considering you didn’t know the exact quantity of THC he had taken in, you couldn’t properly prescribe him anything anyway. 

His expression was still fearful, though the bags under his eyes were becoming more prominent. In his endless attempt to stay awake, afraid for whatever reason to go to sleep, he was exhausting himself. Yawning, you shook your head, your own eyelids starting to fall heavy.

“Kylo you have to sleep. It’s better to sleep it off than to suffer like this.”

His fear striken eyes looked to you, obviously skeptical of what you were suggesting.

“What if he takes me? ….What if he takes me back?”

Suddenly it added up in your mind, Kylo was not imagining a new entity, but someone from the past. Given the few details you knew about him, you assumed it was someone from his time on the Dark side. Considering how he had arrived on Earth, you wouldn’t be surprised even in the slightest if he had been running from this individual. Recollecting his words, it only made more sense.

_I…I let someone turn me against them._

You offered him an earnest smile, shaking your head.

“I promise you Kylo, no one’s coming to get you. It’s just me here. I’m here for you. Sleep.”

Though hesitant, after a long moment of silence and simply staring at one another, Kylo nodded. Allowing his eyelids to finally flutter shut, he took a breath of relief as they fell. He was finally relaxed, though his mind was still reeling and his body still faintly trembling, the soun of your voice lulled him off to sleep.

“I’m here.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the party incident, Kylo is skeptical about going anywhere again. Feeling worn thin by the evening he had and down on himself, (Y/N) tries to assure him things will turn around for him. When he slumps particularly low, she proposes that he start shadowing her at her other jobs.

With his head of dark hair sprawled across his pillow, Kylo laid on your bed. Even within his deep sleep, he was restless with his body tossing and turning from one end of the mattress to the other. Had you not fallen asleep earlier he would have likely kept you up with the constant squeaking of the mattress springs. His once peaceful slumber had slowly became otherwise, a familiar darkness consuming his mind entirely. 

His once blank canvas was slowly being painted with nothing but deep, dark hues. Voices started to whisper in the dark, filling his head with their echoes. Within mere moments, images finally started to appear, images just as dark as the hues fading into the scenery taking over his dreams. 

* * *

_In an eeriely dark forest, one with little to no clear path to follow, Kylo frantically ran. Shoving one branch after another out of his way he made his way deeper and deeper into the forest, picking up surprising speed as he easily weaved his way through. Hitting the forest floor with heavy impact as leaves and branches crushed beneath his weight. His breathing was labored, determined to get wherever it was he was rushing to._

_“You can run but you can’t hide.”  
_

_The voice was cynical, eeriely familiar and deviously chuckling. Despite hearing the voice as clear as day, Kylo could easily tell the voice was in his head. With how fast he was running and focused his face appeared, there was no way any other living person could keep pace with him and speak like this. The devious chuckle echoed through his skull as he continued to frantically run forward. Even with the words playing in his head and the rush through the woods, he never once looked back. It was as if he was running to it rather than retreating from it._

_“You need me, without me, you are nothing!”  
_

_He huffed in frustration as he shoved past another collection of tree branches in his way, snapping the little limbs with ease._

_“You cannot deny who you truly are.”  
_

_Jumping over a few more obstacles in his route, Kylo continued plowing through the woods, not straying from his straight path. His limbs were blurring from the speed he was maintaining, like some sort of machine working as hard as it possibly could. Wherever his destination was, he seemed more than adamant about getting there quickly._

_Finally seeing a clearing the brush before him he slowed his pace, his eyes going wide with fear as his breath hitched in his throat. Despite seeing the face many times before, it never failed to send a surge of emotion through him. He was sure he was rid of it, and yet there it stood._

_Menacingly smirking at him, crouched in some sort of combative pose, was Snoke. With his aged teeth exposed and his sickly face scrunched into an expression of both anger and confidence, Snoke took steps forward. Somehow, he held Kylo’s saber in his boney hand, the strain obvious from his grip around the hilt._

_“I created you…and now I will destroy you.”  
_

_Kylo gulped as Snoke instantly charged towards him, his mouth stretching to an abnormally large size as if becoming a black hole itself. His teeth had suddenly become unsightly fangs, his eyes becoming even more demonic and empty in appearance._

* * *

Kylo jolted awake, his forehead covered in a thin sheet of sweat as his chest quickly rose and fell with heavy breaths. His body trembled harshly, his eyes wide open and strained as he tried to even out his breathing. 

It had been weeks since he had plaguing nightmares, especially since arriving on Earth. Given his debacle with edibles however, that was all cast aside. With one little swing of the door, the paranoia and fear that consumed Kylo’s mind when he fell asleep had returned. 

Suddenly panicked, he looked to the bed, assuring it was still the same as when he had fallen asleep. Considering how distracted and altered his mind had been just hours ago, he couldn’t quite remember what your sheets looked like when he had fallen asleep. Turning to his side, he looked down to the floor seeing you bundled up in your sleeping bag, eyes slowly opening. 

Faintly he sighed with relief at the sight of you. With you there, he was at least promised that he had not left Earth and was still with you. You had kept your promise to stay, as small as it was. 

“Are you ok?”

He opened his mouth to respond, only to come to a complete halt. The nausea from earlier was finally washing over him too heavily to ignore. His freshly awoken body was now catching up with him. His eyes hazily fluttered as his hand instinctively went down to his gut, his stomach churning uncomfortably. Not bothering to answer your inquiry, Kylo quickly threw himself off of the bed and towards your bathroom.

Arching a brow you watched as he flew out from your room, aggresively swinging the door open to get himself out. His feet thudded against the wood floors again, until you heard the bathroom door slam open as the metal knob collided with the wall behind it. 

Sure enough moments later, you heard Kylo’s loud heaving noises echoing from the bathroom. Instantly you cringed in response to the sound as you sat up in your sleeping bag. No matter how many times you heard the sound it still disgusted you. Stretching thoroughly you released a yawn before you stood from the ground, shimmying out of the sleeping bag.

Again heaving noises came from the bathroom, making you cringe once again. Considering Kylo had never consumed anything like these drugs before, you figured his system was trying to rid him of it, not having had any experience or acquired tolerance. Faint coughing followed, a deep breath sounding as though he were trying to remember how to breathe. Feeling your heart ache just a bit for him, you made your way towards the bathroom.

You quietly walked up to it, seating yourself gently in the doorframe as you watched Kylo. His already pale skin was flushed, the dark circles under his eyes were extremely potent,  his hunched posture more obviously displaying his rising breaths. His large frame was bent over the toilet bowl, with his arms at the sides, his hands gripping onto the porcelain. 

Remaining silent, you watched as his back faintly rose and fell from his breaths. Slowly he began to appear as though he were feeling better, or would at least feel that way for a moment or so. In one slow motion he moved himself away from the toilet, plopping himself against the wall behind him with his head hung down. He released a deep breath, running a hand down his face. His eyes were sunken, his face such a sickly, washed out complexion. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he rested his head against the wall behind him.

“Are you ok?”

His adams apple bobbed in his neck for a moment as he kept his eyes shut. Faintly his nostrils flared with a small gust of air flowing past them.

“I guess.”

You tilted your head slightly, still somewhat disappointed and sad for him that he had had the evening he did. Given how he first came here and how he carried himself, you knew the night for him was like getting hit swiftly with a baseball bat. He hated to be so vulnerable, appearing weak if even for a moment. 

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, his eyes slowly opening once again as he remained slumped against the wall. Standing from the ground carefully, your knees making a faint popping sound as you did, you looked down at Kylo who remained staring forward.

“I’m going to get you some Ginger Ale ok? It helps with your stomach.”

He nodded, his face still blank in expression. Turning on your heel you made your way to the kitchen, pulling down a small glass before retrieving the liter of Ginger Ale. After pouring the glass, you returned to the bathroom to see Kylo in the same position, even with the same facial expression. Crouching down to his level you carefully handed him the glass with a sheepish smile. 

Hardly looking at you, Kylo took the glass gently from your hand. He observed it for a moment, watching the bubbles of carbonation rise to the surface with curiousity, his brows furrowing. Deciding to move past it he took a small sip of the drink, setting the glass down at his side as he returned to staring at the wall behind the toilet. 

The room fell silent once again for a few moments. A sort of comforting quiet settling into the air around you as you watched him carefully. 

“I don’t think I’m meant to be here.”

Your brows furrowed instantly after hearing Kylo’s voice. His face remained blank, his shoulders still slouched and appearing as though he was winded. From the tone in his voice you were certain he was speaking from a far more emotional place than he had previously. Faintly you shook your head.

“What?”

He gulped again, keeping his eyes forward.

“…I don’t think I’m meant to be here.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?”

Realizing your tone of voice had come out far more aggressive than you had intended, you cleared your throat. If he was as vulnerable as he appeared, sentiment like that wasn’t going to be of any help or comfort to him after his evening.

“I’m sorry…I just…what do you mean?”

He sighed, bringing his knees closer to his chest as he rested his forearms atop them. His head remained against the wall while his eyes kept forward, as if afraid to look you in the eyes.

“I had a dream…possibly a vision from the force…I was in a forest, one that was…familiar somehow. And someone…someone who is more than certainly not here.”

You nodded, trying to stay attentive as he continued speaking.

“Was after me. …Given how everything here is going for me everytime I attempt to acclimate to your pace of life…I’m starting to think I should have never left in the first place. Maybe I made too impulsive of a decision…maybe that was the only place I was ever meant to belong.”

You shook your head as you brought yourself closer to Kylo. Forcing him to at least acknowledge you, you scooted over towards the sink, putting yourself in his line of sight. Your eyes were soft and welcoming, a sort of understanding. Like anyone else here, after only 3 months and no success in his ventures outside of your apartment, he was growing impatient and doubtful.

“Kylo that’s not true.”

His eyes remained looking at the wall behind you, still hesitant to look directly into your eyes. 

“How do you know? …I’m obviously not doing well here. Everyone my age has a life…purpose…I’m just existing.”

You sighed, crossing your legs under yourself as you settled in.

“Kylo people your age here on Earth weren’t catapulted through a black hole into an entirely different universe. Your situation is significantly unique. I understand you’re impatient, and you obviously don’t enjoy being dependent, but you have to give yourself time.”

He sighed, now looking to his feet.

“You’ve said that many times already.”

You sighed, looking to the floor for a moment. As much as you hated that he brought it up, he was right. Time and time again you continued to assure him that things would get better, that eventually life on Earth would come easily to him and he would no longer be cooped up in your apartment. Given his impatience however, you knew with every passing day he grew skeptical of your reassurance. It was also obvious by the parts of his personality you had seen thus far, he loathed having to be dependent and even somewhat vulnerable in this new place. He wanted control, success, purpose. 

“Do you believe in destiny?”

He shrugged, “…To an extent.”

“Then let me suggest this, think about how you got to where you are now. …I mean really. …What would you call flying through a black hole, living, crash landing on Earth through our atmosphere, still living and then happening to have your first interaction with another human being on Earth be with me? Someone who took you under their wing.”

He slowly brought his eyes to meet yours, now considering your words.

“Destiny must be playing out some sort of larger scenario for you…because by most statistics and accounts you’d be dead…but here you are.”

His eyes stayed focused on yours as his adams apple bobbed in his neck. The expression on his face grew softer, his attention now notably only on you.

“You don’t honestly think your conscious decision to leave was that much of a mistake do you?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m not sure.”

“You wanted to escape didn’t you?”

He nodded.

“And you did, successfully. The universe, the force, didn’t pit against you. You’re alive…you have a home, you have three friends-”

“Mila isn’t my friend.”

You arched a brow, waiting for him to elaborate.

“I know what she thinks of me.”

You sighed, only beginning to imagine what he could have possibly picked up in the labrynth that was Mila’s mind. 

“Well, Mila’s…not as openly friendly as Tony and I, but she’s your friend too. Like I was saying, you’re alive, you have a home, you have three friends, you still have the force within you as an advantage, even on Earth.”

You hesitated, waiting to see how Kylo was gaging your words. Attempting to comfort him or assure him was a delicate and lengthy process given how much doubt and pessimism he carried within himself. 

“You’re meant to be here. For one reason or another, you’re meant to be here on Earth, living under the same roof as Mila and I.”

He sat silent for a moment, his face still not giving you much of a clue as to how he felt other than contemplative. Even with the optimism and truth in your sentiment, you could see that he was looking for something wrong with it. Inside his own mind however, he was slowly starting to accept your words. You were right. This was destiny.

No mortal, not even he, could realistically live through the things he had gone through to get to Earth, nor would they have likely interacted first with someone as openly welcoming and accepting as you. Had the situation gone a little more realistically, Kylo would have likely been met with the barrel of someone’s gun. But destiny had other plans.

“…I guess I am.”

You gave him a subtle smile, tilting your head back upright.

“You’ll find your purpose here soon enough…I promise you.”

He gave you a faint grin, nodding once. Suddenly, in the talk of purpose and belonging you came up with an idea.

“I could sort of help you out a little more with finding that purpose.”

Kylo’s brow arched as he put the glass he had just taken another sip from.

“How?”

“Remember how I said I work two different jobs?”

He nodded.

“Well tomorrow, I’m going to the job that you could tag along with me to.”

He hesitated for a moment, as if considering if he was really ready to get to work so soon. He bit his lip for a moment, before meeting your eyes again.

“Ok, what job is that?”

“The nannying one.”

He nodded, his brows furrowing in concentration.

“What is a nanny again?”

You grinned at him.

“Someone who watches someone else’s children while they’re away. It’s a fairly easy job, I mean my competition for the job is like 15 year olds. You could easily smoke them out of competition.”

His brows remained furrowed as his lips curled over to one side of his mouth. Though the offer was tempting, he couldn’t help but think back to who he was before he had met you. By all accounts he did not fit in the mold of what a caretaker was or looked like. Even with his changed outlook on where he wanted to go with the rest of his life, there were still risks, and considerably laughable ironies. 

“…I have no experience with children…of any kind.”

You waved a hand dismissively.

“That’s fine, it’ll be a piece of cake. Plus I’ll be there.”

He nodded, visibly appearing somewhat relieved at the reminder that you would be going with him. 

“You’re sure no experience doesn’t matter?”

You nodded, “Trust me. I’m sure everything will go over without a hitch.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair once again. 

“If you insist.”

You smiled at him, standing from your place on the bathroom floor. Releasing a soft yawn, you made your way back towards your bedroom, turning to Kylo one last time before you left the doorframe.

“Everything will go fine, trust me.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day after Kylo’s mishap at the party, (Y/N) takes him along to her second job of nannying. Optimistic of how the day will unfold, (Y/N) happily tries to involve him in her daily activities with the kids she looks after. Kylo however ends up in a whole new territory, somewhat overwhlemed.

Looking over to Kylo from the drivers seat you smiled. In contrast to him, you were actually excited to get the day rolling. Kylo however was not so subtly anxious. With the scarce interaction and experience he had with children, he was only dreading all the possibilities. 

What if they pushed him over the edge and he snapped at them? What if he unintentionally injured them? What if in trying to help them he hurt you? What if his complete lack of experience and knowledge resulted in something horrific happening to them? The possibilities were endless in his mind. 

Though he was aware of your assumptions of his life prior to arriving on Earth, he knew all too well that you had no idea just how dark his past was. Or did you know?

“So just a few things first before we get there.”

Your voice interrupted his train of thought, causing him to ever so slightly jolt in his seat. Kylo turned his attention to you suddenly, nodding as he listened more carefully.

“There’s two kids. One’s named Ivy, she’s four, definitely the most rambuncious of the two and incredibly curious. She will talk your ear off with her questions.”

Kylo brows furrowed for a moment, trying to imagine what that would even sound like. Considering his work environment prior to this, he certainly was not used to having anyone talk so persistently. 

“So it’s best to just indulge her and answer, even if you lie or say ‘I don’t know’. She doesn’t quit.”

Kylo nodded faintly, unsure if this was supposed to be a good or bad thing. From the thoughts he could pick up on your end, you seemed rather tolerant of it. Sometimes it appeared you even enjoyed her onslaught of speech.

“Then there’s Josiah. He’s a little hyped up sometimes, but usually he’s pretty laid back. He is, however, incredibly snarky. So be prepared for a few snide remarks.”

Kylo nodded again, his brows furrowing. The only time he had snide comments thrown at him they were from Hux or confident prisoners. How in the galaxy was a child going to give the same kind of response as an almost middle aged man?

“Other than that, they’re fairly easy to watch. I have yet to have any major accidents or disasters with them.”

Kylo turned to look at you with brows still furrowed, “Do disasters occur when doing this job?”

You shrugged, “Sometimes.”

He turned to look out of the front window, feeling a peak of anxiety. Surely you didn’t cause any disasters, considering this family still employed you. Thinking about his lack of experience however he couldn’t stop the thoughts from reeling again. What if he changed that?

“We’re here!”

Snapping out of his train of thought once again Kylo looked before you both to see a house. In comparisson to your apartment it was very clean cut and far more “domestic” in appearance. Just the look of it gave Kylo the feeling that families would prefer these kind of homes rather than places such as your apartment. With the white picket fence, perfectly groomed lawn and mellow beige exterior it practically screamed “suburban” to passersby. 

Sliding out of the car and walking up the pathway towards the front door you slid your hands out of your pockets with a small smile across your face. To say the least, nannying was a tough job sometimes, but you found yourself entertained by the little tikes. You hoped Kylo would enjoy it at least a fraction of the amount you did.

Seeing the tension he held in his shoulders you smiled, “Hey, don’t stress over it too much ok? You’ll do fine.”

He turned to you for a moment, almost having to pause at how positive you were being. Positive reenforcement was something he seldom experienced and most certainly was not accustomed to. 

With a sigh you reached up to the doorbell, giving it one good press. 

Suddenly the door swung open, nearly causing Kylo to stumble back. An older woman with a rather big smile appeared. Her hair was bluntly cut in a perfect bob, her features almost as sharp as her hairdo. Had it not been for the smile Kylo would have assumed her to be far more uptight. Given the appearance of her home as well as herself, she seemed far too much of a perfectionist to be doing much of anything else.  

“(Y/N)! So good to see you.”

You smiled, “Hi Mrs. Ottley.”

Suddenly Mrs. Ottley paused, her hazel eyes seeming to narrow at the realization that Kylo was there. From her hesitation you could already tell what she was thinking and most likely wondering.

“And who is this, accompanying you today?”

You smiled as you turned to Kylo for a moment, “This is Kylo. He’s a friend and also newest roommate. I hope it’s alright that I brought him along.”

Kylo turned his attention to Mrs. Ottley once again, hesitating in her look from you to him. He would have mustered up a smile for her, but in hindsight he knew it would look far more unsettling than just a blank expression. Or so he thought.

“Oh no no it’s perfectly fine! In fact, it actually works out great.”

Your brows faintly furrowed, “How so?”

“Well today Ivy has two of her little friends over. I was going to call you sooner but they came so suddenly I didn’t have time.”

“Oh. Okay, that does work out good then.”

She sighed faintly, obviously trying to hide her stress behind a smile. 

“Great! Well they’re all set as usual, there’s enough snacks and such for everyone. Feel free to just order them pizza for dinner.”

You nodded, “Perfect.”

Grabbing a briefcase from a side table Mrs. Ottley quickly made her way out the door, politely and carefully switching places with you and Kylo. Releasing another sigh, as if already exhausted she gave you both a nod.

“Thank you so much again (Y/N). You two have a good night.”

“You too.”

Giving her a kind smile and wave you turned to close the door behind her as she scurried off to the driveway. Finally with the door shut you turned to Kylo with a sigh.

“Well, this will definitely be a learning experience.”

Kylo’s brows furrowed, “In a good sense?”

You shrugged, “We’ll see.”

As you walked past him Kylo couldn’t help but keep his eyes on you. What could you possibly mean by ‘we’ll see’? Why was there no affirmitive answers? Shouldn’t there be some if you were taking care of other people’s children?

Walking further into the home Kylo observed his surroundings, getting a good feel of just what these people were like. Sure enough, the interior stayed consistent with the appearance he had seen in Mrs. Ottley. It was perfectly polished to the T, even the photo frames on the walls were perfectly straight and aligned. The interior lacked any rich or vibrant colors but instead was covered in lighter shades of white and grey. Oddly enough, it was much like the First Order. Except far less modern and far lighter in shading. 

Suddenly turning around a corner Kylo saw you pause with a little smirk, resting your weight on one of your hips.

“You all staying out of trouble?”

Taking a few more steps forward Kylo listened to the higher pitched voices respond.

“Hi (Y/N)! Guys this is our nanny (Y/N).”

Suddenly a tiny chorus of other small voices appeared, “Hi!”

“What are your guys’ names?”

“I’m Olivia.”

“I’m Nadia.”

“Nice to meet you ladies.”

Looking over to your side you saw Kylo hesitating to walk out into view. Obviously second guesssing his decision to come along for this. The idea of children seemed to be making him even more apprehensive than before.

“I also brought a friend over to help me out.”

All of the girls turned their attention to the wall, watching as Kylo slowly slipped out into view. For a moment they all sat motionless, their doe eyes of varying colors staring in awe of the giant that now stood before them. 

“This is Kylo everyone. Kylo this is Ivy, Olivia, and Nadia.”

Kylo gave them a nod, seeming to opt out of saying hello. Furrowing her brows Ivy spoke up.

“You’re a big person.”

Kylo shrugged, “Compared to you.”

Olivia smirked playfully as she looked between you and Kylo, “Is Kylo your boyfriend Ms. (Y/N)?”

“Oh no, no. Kylo’s just a friend.”

Ivy smirked as well, “Mmmhhmmm.”

Nadia had a beaming smile, her eyes going between you and Kylo. 

“Why’d you bring your boyfriend?”

You sighed, “I brought  _Kylo_ , because I could use a helping hand watching all of you. Speaking of which, where’s your brother Ivy?”

Ivy shrugged, “I dunno.”

Nadia giggled, “So Kylo is your boyfriend?”

The girls all collectively giggled as they “ooo”’d at you, earning an eye roll on your behalf. Kylo however remained almost entirely unmoved and kept a blank expression. It was quite obvious he had no real interest in childish teasing.

“Ok girls, come on.”

The girls all collectively giggled, still finding it more than amusing that you brought Kylo. Though they didn’t truly understand what a boyfriend was you knew they weren’t going to let you live it down for a good while. Suddenly from one of the halls you saw the familiar head of shaggy light brown hair emerge. Of course his focus was nowhere near you and was entirely engrossed in his phone.

“Hey Josiah.”

He grunted. You brushed it off and carried on trying to get his attention.

“You have any homework to do?”

“Probably.”

“Ok, well why don’t you get some of that done before I get you guys dinner?”

He grunted again, not even bothering to look up from his device as he ascended the staircase. Watching him disappear you sighed. He had always been one to have an attitude. He also certainly was no stranger to talking back.

Looking over to you Kylo arched a brow as you gave him a shrug.

“He’ll come around.”

Turning back to the girls you clapped your hands together with a smile.

“Ok ladies what are we doing today?”

Nadia excitedly sat up straighter, “We want to watch Rapunzel!”

“Ahh ok, we’re thinking Tangled?”

They all nodded eagerly, Ivy hugged her Rapunzel plush doll closer to herself.

“It’s our favorite.”

You smiled at her, “It’s one of my favorites too. How about Kylo here gets it started for you and I make you guys some snacks?”

They all nodded eagerly as Ivy cheered, “Yeah!”

“I want popcorn!”

“Chips! Chips!”

You put up a finger, “OR, since it is a special day with all you ladies here I could make something special for you.”

All of them looked up at you intently, their eyes widening a bit as they thought over the possibilities. Though Kylo did well to hide his inner curiosity, he certainly perked up at the sound of you cooking something, knowing how delicious the food you always brought home from work was. 

You smirked, “How do you princesses feel about grilled cheese sandwiches?”

They all cheered as they lifted their arms up excitedly. The decision obviously being unanimous.

“Alright, I’ll get started. Kylo, if you would do the honors.”

Looking to the TV, instantly seeing controls he recognized with welcome relief, Kylo nodded. 

“Sure.”

You nudged your head towards the entertainment center before turning on your heel towards the kitchen.

“Movie is in there. It’s called Tangled.”

Kylo nodded as he turned to the center, carefully opening the little cabinet door. Sure enough as soon as he opened it he saw a neatly organized stack of movies, with the apparent film in question on top. Pulling off of the pile he held it before him, observing the picture for a moment. He wasn’t familiar with the story of Rapunzel and therefore had no idea as to why this young womans blonde hair took up most of the cover. Furrowing his brows he opened the container and followed through with starting the movie. 

The girls all excitedly squeezed together on the ground, shuffling around until they got themselves comfortable. Seeing the ads start to roll Kylo turned towards the kitchen, figuring he should see if you needed help. Though it was rather unlikely, there was a first time for everything. 

Peaking into the kitchen he saw you setting out the ingredients, carefully counting out how many things you needed. As if sensing his stare you turned around with a soft smile.

“Hey, you get the movie going?”

He nodded, “The ads are running.”

You nodded before suddenly pausing. It was almost as though a lightbulb went off in your head. Part of helping Kylo become more capable of attaining a job could be expanding his skill set. One of those most certainly being cooking.

“Question for you.”

Kylo stared at you blankly, obviously waiting for you to carry on.

“Back home, did you ever cook anything?”

Kylo’s brows furrowed, “No. My meals were always prepared for me.”

You nodded, “Well, we’re going to change that.”

“How so?”

“You’re going to make some grilled cheese sandwiches!”

Kylo looked from you to the ingredients, then back to you again. You could tell he was unsure about the idea. 

“Don’t worry about it, they’re super easy. You just spread the butter on the bread, like you do for toast all the time, put a slice of cheese between two slices and cook them for a few minutes on the griddle. Oh you will need to flip it over though, at least once.”

“How will I know when to flip it?”

“I would say within about 2 minutes of cooking the first side flip it over and cook the other.”

He mulled over the instructions for a moment, mentally repeating them to himself over and over. Trying to visualize what that looked like. He knew you had set out the griddle for him based on your surface thoughts, but aside from that he couldn’t pick up any visuals of what he was supposed to really do.

“You think you can do it?”

Considering the fact that you had referred to them as “super easy” to make, he did not want to reduce himself by saying he couldn’t. What kind of grown man couldn’t handle making a sandwich?

“Yeah.”

You gave him a smile, “Perfect! I’ll be out here with the girls. Let me know if you need anything.”

Kylo nodded as he watched you waltz back into the living room, the girls excitedly telling you about an ad they had just seen seconds ago. Turning to the counter Kylo sighed, his eyes scanning over all the ingredients intently. If he could at least remember what you had told him and stick to it, this would go by far easier than he was imagining it to be.

Carefully he started going through the ingredients, doing step by step just as you had instructed. For the most part, it did seem fairly easy. There was very little to be put into it, and all he had left to do was cook them.

Turning to the griddle he stared at it for a moment, wondering how it worked. Bending down slightly he assessed the appliance, his brows furrowing. You wanted him to use this outdated appliance? Why on earth would you choose this over the sleek ones not so far away? Looking over to the oven Kylo smirked. He would have these babies cooked far sooner than you were anticipating. 

Carefully he picked up one of the sandwiches and moved over to the stove. Setting it atop one of the burners Kylo turned his attention to all of the knobs just below the burner. Assessing the numbers for a moment Kylo knitted his brows together. From what he knew, the higher the number, the higher the heat. If he wanted to cook these quickly he should likely cook it at the higher heat.

Turning the nob all the way up Kylo waited a moment, watching a little spark emerge from the stove top. What you had failed to mention to him, not expecting him to use the oven, was that it was a gas oven, meaning it had flames. Instantly the flame from the burner flared high, causing Kylo to raise his brows. Just as quickly as he got surprised by the flame suddenly the sandwich atop the burner was consumed by it. His eyes grew wider as he watched the sandwich increase the flames, the bread obviously further igniting the flame.

“Oh, oh no.”

For a sudden moment Kylo was in absolute confusion, what was he supposed to do? Nothing in his force abilities could extinguish fire, not unless he destroyed the oven. The more he tried to think of how he could extinguish it, the more he grew anxious at the burning food before him.

Suddenly he heard you call out from the other room, “Kylo?”

“Uh, y-yeah?”

“Is everything alright out there?”

“Pfft, yes.”

“Are you sure? Something smells like its burning.”

Crap. Of course you could smell it too. Before he could react he could sense you approaching, obviously wondering what on earth was taking so long. Mentally cursing himself he started to look through drawers, cabinets, all in hopes he’d find something to help. However that search produced nothing by the time your eyes landed on the situation, earning a gasp.

“Kylo!!”

“I can fix it.”

“Kylo you were supposed to use the griddle!!”

Instanly you broke into one of the cabinets, swiftly pulling out a fire extinguisher. Moving as quickly as you could you made your way to the oven, instantly pulling the extinguisher as the fire alarm went off. Kylo’s eyes wandered up to the ceiling, wondering what the wretched noise was. Seeing the flashing light above him was a fairly good clue as to what it was. Running the extinguisher over the fire for another moment you released a sigh. As if you had just been drained, or relieved.

“Ok, it’s out.”

Kylo gulped unsure of how you were truly feeling at this moment as you grabbed a dish rag and began waving it under the alarm.

“I didn’t mean to cause a fire, I just thought it would cook faster.”

“It’s fine Kylo.”

You turned towards him, crossing your arms under your chest as you looked him over.

“Obviously the kitchen is not your speciality.”

Kylo’s shoulders slumped slightly as you tilted your head with a soft smile.

“I’ll finish these other sandwiches you made up, why don’t you go watch the movie with the girls?”

“Do I have to?”

You chuckled, “It won’t kill you.”

“I suppose.”

* * *

Later on in the evening as the sun finally set and Tangled concluded, Kylo followed you around the house, nearly like a shadow. You knew it was likely because he had no clue what to do with himself. Considering his past and what little you knew of his profession, he likely was not kidding in any sense by saying he had no experience with children. Not to mention his earlier mishap in the kitchen. 

Turning to look at him you hesitated for a moment before giving him a friendly smile.

“You know, I thought of something you could do.”

Kylo turned to you with faintly furrowed brows, “What?”

“You could do like a story time or book reading with the girls.”

He processed the thought for a moment, falling silent. From what you could see on his face you knew he wasn’t sure about the idea.

“Story telling?”

“Yeah, just tell them a story you know or something you come up with on the fly.”

He mulled over the idea for a moment before nodding, seeming to slowly turn himself back towards the living room. 

“Ok. I can do that.”

You smiled, “Perfect! I’ll get their dinner ready to go while you do that.”

He nodded once again, seeming to be a little more confident in his steps back there. At least if it didn’t involve flame or any sort of cooking you could assure he wouldn’t bring himself or the girls any harm.

Carefully you arranged the girls plates, assuring you cut their individual slices of pizza small enough for them. Considering you didn’t want to risk another fire you opted to follow Mrs. Ottley’s advice and just order pizza. At least this way you knew it would be a hit with the girls who rarely got to see “junk” food.

After a few more moments, assuring the table was set for everyone and you got everyone their respective portions of food and a drink, you made your way back to the living room. Just as you walked in you took note of Kylo who was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the screen. The girls, however, were all looking between each other in what appeared to you to be some degree of horror. Their eyes were wide, their brows furrowed and their mouths agape. 

“Hey guys, what’s going on?”

Just as you asked you suddenly took note of Olivia who’s eyes were watering up, her lip quivering. You had only been out of the room for 10 minutes, what could have possibly happened? Walking up to her you gently rested your hand on her shoulder.

“Oh honey, it’s ok. What’s wrong?”

She sniffled, “D-darth Vader ki-killed everyone.”

Your brows furrowed before you turned to Kylo. When you had said to tell a story you had forgotten to specify what kind. Though with Kylo it was clear that clarification was essential.

“What?”

“Darth Vader conquered the galaxy and killed lots of people.”

The tone in Ivy’s voice was obviously somewhere between shock and subtle disgust. You could tell she was disappointed in his choice of story.

Kylo looked to you and shrugged, “You said to tell them a story. I thought the book was dull. So I told them one from home.”

You rolled your eyes, “Kylo they’re 4 years old. They aren’t ready to hear about Darth Vader. I meant a story more like the movie they watched. Princesses and princes or daring adventures. Not galactic warfare.”

He paused for a moment, seeming to consider your words. Truthfully he hadn’t even thought about the fact that children here were likely not raised with stories of anyone like Darth Vader. Then again you had told him you grew up watching the movies about his universe.

“Oh.” 

You sighed, “It’s fine….it balances out the genre of stories for the night I guess.”

Olivia sniffled as her big doe eyes looked up at you, “Darth Vader doesn’t live here right?”

“No, no, no honey. Darth Vader’s just in the movies. He’s not…on Earth.”

Olivia sniffled and nodded in response, “Ok.”

Nadia looked over to you with an imploring gaze, “Ms. (Y/N), can you tell us a story before we have to go to sleep tonight?”

“Of course. Any story you guys want.”

“Just not anything with Darth Vader.”

You faintly giggled, “I can do that.”

Ivy sighed, “Good.”

Kylo’s shoulders slumped a little. It was yet another failure in the day for him. 

* * *

After seating the girls at the table, getting them settled with their dinner you and Kylo had watched Josiah breeze through. He had hardly paid you any mind, instead opting to grunt and scoff in response to things. Yet again confirming he hadn’t done much and didn’t feel a need to report to you about it. In addition to a few snide remarks he made under his breath about Kylo.

Once dinner was finished for the girls you looked over to Kylo. Although he had caused some trouble throughout your time here, you were willing to give him a chance with something. You knew he was determined to do something right.

“Hey Kylo. Since I’m not getting through to the grump upstairs, maybe you could try?”

Kylo’s brows furrowed, “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Come on, I’m sure you could get through to him. You’re not his nanny he sees all the time.”

“Which is exactly why I worry about how that would go.”

You sighed, “Kylo. Seriously just ask him if he’s done his homework, if he hasn’t ask him to do it. If he has, say that’s great. You don’t have to sit down with him and talk about life.”

Kylo paused for a moment, yet again considering what you were proposing. After another minute he gave you a shrug.

“I suppose I could.”

You smiled at him again, “Great. Thank you in advance.”

He gave you a nod before making his way towards the stairs and ascending his way up. Even the pictures hanging in the upper half of the home were neatly lined up when hung, the entire place looking as though it were in top pristine condition. Sensing another presence close by Kylo continued walking until he found the source. 

Peaking his head into the room Kylo watched as Josiah intently focused on the screen before him. He was playing video games yet again. It seemed as though anything you had said and asked of him went straight over his head. Taking a few steps forward, putting himself in the doorway, Kylo cleared his throat. To little surprise, Josiah still didn’t turn to meet his stare.

“Hey…kid. What are you doing?”

“Stuff.”

“Did you do your homework?”

Josiah scoffed, shaking his head as if he were amused by Kylo.

“…You didn’t answer the question.”

“So?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework?”

Josiah scoffed, “Aren’t you supposed to be at the top of a bean stock?”

Though Kylo didn’t understand the reference, he knew for certain it was not meant to be a compliment. Flaring his nostrils he tightened his fist. If there was anyone this kid should not be testing the patience of, it was him.

“(Y/N) asked you to do it.”

“So?”

Kylo tightened his fists, his nostrils flaring. He knew you didn’t want him to raise his voice with Josiah but he could feel his composure just subtly beginning to slip. 

“It’s important.”

“Says who?”

“(Y/N).”

“(Y/N) isn’t my mom.”

“I doubt your mom would disagree.”

“Pfft, whatever.”

“(Y/N) is the adult in charge and she asked you to do your homework.”

Josiah scoffed again, “Well you’re an adult and almost burnt down our house making a sandwich, is that something you’re supposed to be doing?”

At that Kylo could feel his anger beginning to build inside. He knew when he was young he certainly had a way of talking back, but he had yet to be on the receiving end of it. In addition to the fact that he was impatient, it only took so many frustrating things to get under Kylo’s skin. He was often well composed, but he always had his moments. This was looking as though it were going to be one of them.

“Listen you little brat.”

Just as his teeth grit, about to further berate this kid for being so snarky, Kylo suddenly paused. To his surprise Josiah’s shoulders tensed, much like Kylo had seen before. Josiah was no longer exhibiting snarky confidence but subtle fear. For whatever reason, Kylo raising his voice had instilled a subtle hint of fear in Josiah. From the energy Kylo could sense it was likely because someone else had raised their voice at him in the past. Likely in a far more threatening way. 

It was also no mystery that Kylo was fairly intimidating, even to a kid who acted as though he had all the confidence in the world. He was still small and still far less capable in strength than a brick house like Kylo. Hearing someone that intimidating get angry with him was likely not what he wanted to hear or deal with.

Seeing Josiah’s shoulders remain tense, his video game visibly being played with less precise focus, Kylo remained silent. Obviously raising his voice wasn’t going to make the situation any better and this child would likely continue to deflect his fear of Kylo with snark. The uncertainty and uncomfortable aura around Josiah seemed to fluctuate. If anything this was definitely a test of how well Kylo could practice patience and hinder his own anger. His reponses to a child had to be far more calculated and subdued.

Kylo cleared his throat, “Listen…kid. It’s important. (Y/N) asked you to do it. So…please do it.”

Josiah sat still for a few moments, as if saturating the fact that Kylo had lowered his voice and used the word “please”. After a moment he paused his video game, hitting a few controls Kylo could not recognize. 

Softly Josiah mumbled, “Fine.” 

Kylo sighed, “Thank you.”

From what he could sense Josiah was no longer as tense, but still hesitated to turn and face him. Kylo couldn’t blame him. Had someone other than Han come into his room and started telling him what to do, his response wouldn’t have been all that friendly either. Not to mention at his young age he likely wouldn’t have felt as welcoming of others as he was to Han and his mother.

Turning on his heel Kylo made his way back out of the room as Josiah slowly turned around and peaked over his shoulder. Carefully watching the giant descend down the staircase again.

* * *

The evening had finally come to a close, with all of the girls tucked into their sleeping bags in the living room, the house cleaned and Mrs. Ottley tiredly thanking you and Kylo. The girls were content, bidding Kylo “your boyfriend” goodbye, and Josiah had actually put a curb on his snarky comebacks. 

You and Kylo made your way down the driveway towards your car. Sighing with relief you turned to Kylo.

“Thanks for coming along tonight.”

Kylo nodded, “I apologize for ruining it.”

“You didn’t ruin it. Everything turned out fine.”

Kylo looked to you with furrowed brows, as if confused as to how you could think that.

“Kylo I mean it. It turned out fine. Things could have been so much worse.”

“That’s not really a good way to think of it.”

“Ok…so kids aren’t your forte or expertise, it happens.”

“You said 15 year olds had this job.”

“Doesn’t mean they’re good at it.”

Kylo slid his hands into his pockets, turning forward again as you both approached your car. Watching walk over to the passenger side you gave him a smile.

“You did get through to Josiah though. Even I haven’t done that.”

Kylo nodded, though still not seeming satisfied with just that.

“I bet a lot of 15 year olds would’ve fallen flat on that one. Trust me.”

“Yeah…”

“We’ll find your nitch soon enough.”

He sighed as he looked up to the sky for a moment, “I hope so.”


End file.
